Hanns-Martin Schleyer (May 1, 1915 – October 18, 1977) was a German manager and employer and industry representative, serving as President of the two influential organizations Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA) and Federation of German Industries (BDI). While serving both functions, he was kidnapped on September 5, 1977 by the extreme-left terrorist organisation Red Army Faction (RAF) and murdered one and a half months later af...
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Hanns-Martin Schleyer (May 1, 1915 – October 18, 1977) was a German manager and employer and industry representative, serving as President of the two influential organizations Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA) and Federation of German Industries (BDI). While serving both functions, he was kidnapped on September 5, 1977 by the extreme-left terrorist organisation Red Army Faction (RAF) and murdered one and a half months later after the German government did not give in to RAF's demands. The abduction and murder are commonly seen as the climax of the RAF insurgency in Germany in 1977 (German Autumn).
Born in Offenburg, Baden, Schleyer came from a national-conservative family. His father was a judge and his great-great uncle was Johann Martin Schleyer, a renowned Catholic priest who invented the Volapük language. Hanns-Martin Schleyer started studying law at the University of Heidelberg in 1933. He joined the Corps Suevia, a fraternity. In 1939 he obtained a doctorate...
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