born Feb. 22, 1885, Fleinhausen, Ger.
died Oct. 16, 1946, Nürnberg, W.Ger.
German Nazi demagogue and politician.
He joined the Nazi Party in 1921 and became a friend of Der Stürmer , which provided a focus for Hitler's racial policies. As one of the most virulent advocates of persecution of the Jews, Streicher initiated the campaign that led to the passage of the {{link=N%C3%BCrnberg Laws">Nürnberg Laws in 1935. He was appointed gauleiter (district leader) of Franconia, but his sadistic excesses alienated party officials, and he was stripped of his posts in 1940; he remained editor of Der Stürmer , however, owing to Hitler's protection. In 1945 he was arrested by the Allies, prosecuted at the Nürnberg trials , and hanged as a war criminal.