Franz Josef Müller

Franz Josef Müller (8 September 1924 in Ulm^[1]^[2] – 31 March 2015 in Munich) was a member of the White Rose. In 1986, he founded the Weiße Rose Stiftung (foundation of the White Rose).

Life

Growing up, Müller raised money to collect stamps and envelopes, including pamphlets addressed to the White Rose and was also involved in spreading the letters. He usually met with Hans Hirzel, son of the parish priest at that time,in the hidden organ chamber of the Martin-Luther-Church in Ulm. Along with Hans Hirzel, he addressed and stamped 1000 of the fifth pamphlet of the White Rose. Müller was drafted to the military in February 1943 in France.

In March 1943, he was arrested by the Gestapo. Another member of the White Rose told his name under torture. In April 19, 1943, in the Justizpalast (Munich) (Palace of Justice in Munich), the second court case of the People's Court against the White Rose under Roland Freisler, started. Müller was sentenced to five years in prison. The reason why he, Hans Hirzel and Susanne Hirzel were not sentenced to death, unlike the other members of the White Rose, is unknown. Müller thought that Freislers racism played an important role, since all three of them were blonde and blue-eyed. During the court proceedings Freisler screamed: "You have a rassic good look, how could you be against the Führer?" At the end of Nazi Germany, Müller was set free again.^[3]

Instead of emigrating to the United States in 1947 as intended, he was convinced by the Ulmer Lord Mayor Robert Scholl, whose children were sentenced to death, to stay in Germany. Franz Josef Müller studied Law in Tübingen, Basel and in Freiburg im Bergau. He founded the Weiße Rose Stiftung in the year 1986 together with members and relatives to the members of the White Rose, sentenced to death, with the intention to keep their legacy. Already in the beginning of 1970 he frequently spoke to school classes to tell about his life and the White Rose. He is portrayed at the Ulmer DenkStätte Weiße Rose.

Franz Josef Müller was awarded with the München leuchtet (Munich shines) and the Ya-Vashem-Medal,^[4] a medal of the state Israel to acknowledging the membership of Müller in the White Rose and for his engagement against the NS-regime.

Franz Josef Müller died on March 31, 2015 in Munich after an unknown disease.

Literature

Inge Scholl: Die weiße Rose. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1993, ISBN 3-596-11802-6

References

^ Michael Kißener u. a. (Hrsg.), „Weitertragen. Studien zur Weissen Rose“. Festschrift für Anneliese Knoop-Graf zum 80. Geburtstag, Konstanz 2001, p. 35 (German)
^ In Gestapo Interrogation Transcripts: Willi Graf, Alexander Schmorell, Hans Scholl, and Sophie Scholl, NJ 1704 - Volumes 1-33, Exclamation! Publishers, Los Angeles, California USA, 2002–2003. ISBN 0-9710541-3-4
^ Transkription eines längeren Interviews mit Müller (PDF; 50 kB) auf BR alpha vom 2. Mai 2003
^ Transkription eines längeren Interviews mit Müller (PDF; 50 kB) auf BR alpha vom 2. Mai 2003

[1] Michael Kißener u. a. (Hrsg.), „Weitertragen. Studien zur Weissen Rose“. Festschrift für Anneliese Knoop-Graf zum 80. Geburtstag, Konstanz 2001, p. 35 (German)

[2] In Gestapo Interrogation Transcripts: Willi Graf, Alexander Schmorell, Hans Scholl, and Sophie Scholl, NJ 1704 - Volumes 1-33, Exclamation! Publishers, Los Angeles, California USA, 2002–2003. ISBN 0-9710541-3-4

[3] Transkription eines längeren Interviews mit Müller (PDF; 50 kB) auf BR alpha vom 2. Mai 2003

[4] Transkription eines längeren Interviews mit Müller (PDF; 50 kB) auf BR alpha vom 2. Mai 2003

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]