Bezirksamtmann (plural Bezirksamtleute) is a
German administrative title of gubernatorial or lower rank, roughly translating as equivalent to the British
District Officer. It is derived from Bezirk ("district") + Amtmann ("official").
Colonial use
The title was used for colonial officials in the following minor German Schutzgebiete (i.e. colonial possessions of various status) in the Pacific:
(probably incomplete list)
1906 - 30 April 1907 Victor Berg (b. 1861 - d. 1907)
1907 Joseph Siegwantz (acting)
1908 - November 1909 Wilhelm Stuckhardt (d. 1909)
November 1909 - 1910 Berghausen (interim)
1910 - 1911 Georg Merz; he stayed on as only
Stationsleiter ('Station chief') (1911 - 3 October 1914), subordinate to the Eastern Caroline islands district, see below
1899 - 1906 Ludwig Kaiser (b. 1862 - d. 1906); afterwards the jurisdiction was downgraded and administered by Station Chiefs (Stationsleiter), from 1911 subordinated to the administrators of
Ponape district (in the Eastern Carolinas, cfr. infra)
Marianen Inseln (German for 'Marianas Islands', i.e. the Northern Marianas, sold by Spain), as subordinate of the colonial governor of
German New Guinea :
November 1899 - April 1907 Georg Fritz (on
Saipan)
1904 - 1907 Volker Reichel (on
Rota island); afterwards administered by a
Stationsleiter ('Station chief') who was subordinated to a district officer in Micronesia and thus to his superiors
in
Micronesia, which was 18 July 1899 - 7 October 1914 under the authority of the governors of German New Guinea (and their
Vice-governors of German New Guinea, which had the general supervision over the island districts), there were two island districts, under District officers which from 1889 were styled Bezirksamtmann: