Ohly, Carl (also Karl)

Protestant pastor

Born: 08.08.1860 in Haiger

died: 27.02.1919 in Nassau/Lahn

Ohly, nephew of August Ohly, studied Protestant theology in Leipzig, Tübingen and Berlin from 1879. In 1882, he attended the preacher's seminary in Herborn. From 1883 he was vicar in Nied in Nassau, then in 1884 first pastor of the new parish of (Frankfurt-) Höchst and from 1888 pastor of the Lutheran parish in Elberfeld. From 1899 he was court and cathedral preacher in Berlin.

In 1913, King Wilhelm II of Prussia appointed his court preacher as the (last) general superintendent of the Wiesbaden consistorial district, thereby overriding the polemic against the conservative theologian stirred up by the liberals. During his short time in office, however, Ohly managed to dispel the concerns that had arisen. From 1913, he was also chairman of the Nassau Gustav-Adolf Association. Ohly received an honorary doctorate in theology from the University of Marburg in 1918. Ohly died in the middle of the period of state upheaval after a long illness.

The Berlin New Testament scholar Adolf Deißmann (1866-1937), who came from Langenscheid, and Pastor Karl Hofmann (1875-1955) from the Luther Church in Wiesbaden were in discussion to succeed him. After both declined, the consistory and district synodal committee agreed not to fill the position before a new church constitution came into force. Rudolf Eibach (1841-1923) took over the administration of the general superintendent's affairs until his retirement on October 1, 1919 and then Anton Jäger until 1925.