Franz Xaver Schwarz (27 November 1875 – 2 December 1947) was a high ranking German Nazi Party official who served as Reichsschatzmeister (National Treasurer) of the Party throughout most of its existence. He was also one of the highest ranking members of the Schutzstaffel (SS). Early life Schwarz was born in Günzburg, the seventh of eight children born to a master baker and his wife. He was educated up to a high school level at the Günzburger vocational training school. Schwarz married Berta Breher on 26 August 1899. From 1900 to 1924, except for the war years of 1914 to 1918, he worked as an "administrative official" in the city government of Munich. During World War I, Schwarz served as a warrant officer (Feldwebelleutnant) in the Imperial German Army. He served briefly as a platoon leader but due to gastric troubles which afflicted him for his entire life he was spared field duty beginning in January 1916. He was discharged from active service at the end of the war, given a 30 percent war disability pension, put into the reserves and commissioned a Leutnant in 1920. Schwarz went to work in an administrative capacity in the Munich City Council. In 1919 Schwarz joined the Deutschvölkischer Schutz- und Trutzbund, the largest and most influential anti-semitic organization in the Weimar Republic. Nazi Party career Schwarz joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and participated in the failed Beer Hall Putsch of November 1923. When the Party was banned by the German government, Schwarz joined the Greater German People's Community, a Nazi front organization based in Munich. He served as the Treasurer of its governing board from 9 July 1924 until it was disbanded. With the re-establishment of the Nazi Party on 27 February 1925, Schwarz immediately rejoined and became party member number six. He left his job as an accountant at the Munich City Hall to become the full-time Treasurer of the Nazi Party on 21 March 1925. He rebuilt the financial and administrative functions of the party. It was Schwarz who raised the money for the publication of Adolf Hitler's book, Mein Kampf. In April–May 1930 Schwarz negotiated the purchase of the party headquarters, the Brown House at 45 Brienner Straße in Munich. From December 1929 to October 1934, Schwarz was a City Councilor in Munich. From 16 September 1931 forward, Hitler granted Schwarz plenipotentiary powers over all financial matters of the