Friedrich "Fritz" Ebert Jr. (12 September 1894 – 4 December 1979) was a German socialist and later communist politician, the son of Germany's first president Friedrich Ebert. He was originally a Social Democrat like his father before him, but is best known for his role in the foundation of East Germany's ruling party, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, in which he served in various positions.
Early life
Born in Bremen, Ebert underwent an apprenticeship as a printer from 1909 to 1913. In 1910, he joined the Socialist Workers' Youth and in 1913 the SPD. From 1915 to 1918, he fought in the First World War. Of his three brothers, Ebert Jr. was the only survivor.
Weimar Republic
thumb|left|Ebert campaigning, 1928
In 1920, he married Johanna Elisabeth Vollmann, three years his junior, with whom he had two children, Friedrich and Georg. His wife committed suicide in 1938.
During the Weimar Era, Ebert worked for various social democratic newspapers. From 1919 to 1925 he was an editor for Vorwärts, from 1923 to 1925 he worked for the ', and from 1925 to 1933 he was an editor for the '. and in April 1933 joined the Prussian State Council representing Brandenburg. He lost all elected positions after the Nazis came to power and banned the SPD in June 1933.
Ebert was also active in the Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold, serving as chairman of the Brandenburg state group in 1928.
On 21 February 1933, three weeks after the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, Ebert published an open letter to Paul von Hindenburg. In it he pointed out to the Reich President, among other things,
Nazi Germany
thumb|left|300px|Ebert (fifth from right) with several other political prisoners at [[Oranienburg concentration camp, 1933]]
In July 1933, Ebert was arrested for illegal political activity and detained for eight months in various concentration camps, including Oranienburg and Börgermoor. In 1939, he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht, serving for nine months. After he was discharged in 1940, Ebert was forced to work in the packaging and shipping department of the . Until 1945, he was under constant police surveillance.
During the East German flag debate, it was Ebert's suggestion to use the black-red-gold tricolour instead of the black-white-red of the NKFD and the former German Empire. He justified his proposal as follows:
thumb|right|300px|Ebert presenting the [[Patriotic Order of Merit to Olympic gold medalist Klaus Köste, 1972]]
He was a member of the Deutscher Volksrat, a preliminary parliament that drew up the first constitution of the GDR, and after 1949, he also became a member of the People's Chamber, the parliament of the GDR. Between 1949 and 1971, Ebert served as the chamber's deputy president. In 1971, he was elected chairman of the SED faction in the People's Chamber. From 1960, he was also a member of the Council of State and from 1971 its deputy chairman. As such, he was acting head of state in 1973 after Walter Ulbricht's death until the election of Willi Stoph.