Hilde Benjamin
Hilde Benjamin (née Lange, February 5, 1902 – April 18, 1989) was an East German judge and Minister of Justice. She is best known for presiding over a series of political show trials in the 1950s.
Life
Childhood and education
Hilde Lange was born in Bernburg, Anhalt, and grew up in Berlin, the daughter of the engineer Heinz Lange and his wife, Adele. Growing up in a religious and culturally inclined family awakened in her an early interest in classical music and literature which would stay with her throughout her life.
In 1921 she successfully completed her school career at the Fichtenberg High School in Steglitz on the south side of Berlin.
She was among the first women to study law in Germany, which she did at Berlin, Heidelberg, and Hamburg from 1921 to 1924.
Politics and early career
Afterwards, she worked as a practicing attorney in Berlin-Wedding for the Rote Hilfe, a Communist aid organization. In 1926 she married the medical doctor, Georg Benjamin, the brother of writer Walter Benjamin and of her friend, the academic Dora Benjamin. Georg and Hilde's son, Michael was born at the end of 1932.
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