1903 in Germany

Events in the year 1903 in Germany.

National level

 * Kaiser – Wilhelm II
 * Chancellor – Bernhard von Bülow

Kingdoms

 * King of Bavaria – Otto
 * King of Prussia – Wilhelm II
 * King of Saxony – George
 * King of Württemberg – William II

Grand duchies

 * Grand Duke of Baden – Frederick I
 * Grand Duke of Hesse – Ernest Louis
 * Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Frederick Francis IV
 * Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Frederick William
 * Grand Duke of Oldenburg – Frederick Augustus II
 * Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – William Ernest

Principalities

 * Schaumburg-Lippe – George, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
 * Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt – Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
 * Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
 * Principality of Lippe – Alexander, Prince of Lippe (with Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld as regent)
 * Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz (with Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line as regent)
 * Reuss Younger Line – Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line
 * Waldeck and Pyrmont – Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Duchies

 * Duke of Anhalt – Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
 * Duke of Brunswick – Prince Albert of Prussia (regent)
 * Duke of Saxe-Altenburg – Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
 * Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
 * Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

Colonial governors

 * Cameroon (Kamerun) – Jesko von Puttkamer (8th term)
 * Kiaochow (Kiautschou) – Oskar von Truppel
 * German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika) – Gustav Adolf von Götzen
 * German New Guinea (Deutsch-Neuguinea) – Albert Hahl (2nd term)
 * German Samoa (Deutsch-Samoa) – Wilhelm Solf
 * German South-West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika) – Theodor Leutwein
 * Togoland – Waldemar Horn

Events

 * 13 February – Venezuelan crisis. After agreeing to arbitration in Washington, Britain, Germany and Italy reach a settlement with Venezuela, resulting in the Washington Protocols. The naval blockade that began in December 1902 will be lifted, and Venezuela commit 30% of its customs duties to settling claims.
 * 16 June – German federal election, 1903: The Centre Party remains the largest party in the Reichstag. Shortly after the election, the National-Social Association is dissolved by its leader Friedrich Naumann, and its members join the Free-minded Union.

Undated

 * German company August Storck is founded.

Births

 * 7 January – Albrecht Haushofer, German geographer, diplomat and writer (died 1945)
 * 18 January – Werner Hinz, German actor (died 1985)
 * 10 February – Karl Deichgräber, classical philologist (died 1984)
 * 24 February – Franz Burda I, German publisher (died 1986)
 * 6 March
 * Erna Herchenröder, German trade unionist and politician (died 1977)
 * Franz Wessel, German judge (died 1958)
 * 24 March – Adolf Butenandt, German chemist (died 1995)
 * 26 April – Alex Möller, German politician (died 1985)
 * 27 April – Karl Maron, German politician (died 1975)
 * 8 June – Eduard Brücklmeier, German diplomat (died 1944)
 * 10 June:
 * Robert A. Stemmle, German film director and screenwriter (died 1974)
 * Theo Lingen, German actor, screenwriter and film director (died 1978)
 * 16 July – Fritz Bauer, German judge (died 1968)
 * 22 July:
 * Willi Dehnkamp, German politician (died 1985)
 * Anton Saefkow, German politician (died 1944)
 * 26 July – Kurt Mahler, German mathematician (died 1988)
 * 31 July – Emil Hirschfeld, German athlete (died 1968)
 * 29 August – Ernst Kreuder, German writer (died 1972)
 * 3 August – Rudolf Wolters, German architect (died 1983)
 * 11 September:
 * Theodor W. Adorno, German philosopher (died 1969)
 * Carl Joseph Leiprecht, German bishop of Roman-Catholic Church (died 1981)
 * 11 October – Hans Söhnker, film actor (died 1981)
 * 3 October – Werner Klingler, German film director and actor (died 1972)
 * 5 December – Johannes Heesters, German actor (died 2011)
 * 26 December – Herbert Albert, German conductor (died 1973)
 * Date unknown – Ernst David Bergmann, German-born Israeli nuclear scientist and chemist (died 1975)

Deaths

 * 13 April – Moritz Lazarus, German philosopher (born 1824)
 * 14 June – Carl Gegenbaur, German anatomist (born 1826)
 * 8 August – Adolf Schiel, German-born Boer army officer (born 1858)
 * 4 September – Hermann Zumpe, German conductor (born 1850)
 * 1 November – Theodor Mommsen, German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician, archaeologist (born 1817)