Wilhelm Frick: Nazi Germany Minister (1933–1943) and Nuremberg Convict

Wilhelm Frick, Nazi minister from 1933–1943 who helped shape Third Reich policy; after WWII he was tried at Nuremberg, convicted of war crimes and executed in 1946.

Wilhelm Frick (born 12 March 1877 in Alsenz; died 16 October 1946 in Nuremberg) was a prominent figure in the Nazi administration. He served in a top government role as a minister of the Third Reich from 1933 until 1943.

Political career and later fate

Frick rose through the ranks of the party to hold national office and was closely involved in shaping regime policy. Following the collapse of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II, he was tried, convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and executed at Nuremberg in 1946.

Clarifications on reported successions

Some later summaries have misreported Frick’s roles. He did not succeed Reinhard Heydrich in leadership of the Gestapo after Heydrich’s assassination in 1942; that claim is not supported by primary records. Instead, Frick’s influence diminished before his removal from ministerial office in 1943.