Martin niemollers biography

German theologian (1892–1984)

Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller (German:[ˈmaʁtiːnˈniːmœlɐ]^ⓘ; 14 January 1892 – 6 March 1984) was a German theologian and Lutheran pastor.^[1][3] He is best known for his opposition to the Nazi regime during the late 1930s and for his widely quoted 1946 poem "First they came ...".

The poem exists in many versions; the one featured on the United States Holocaust Memorial reads: "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me."

Niemöller was a national conservative and initially a supporter of Adolf Hitler^[4] and a self-identified antisemite.^[5] He became one of the fo