German politician and social reformer who served during World War One as the Minister of Economics. Schwander studied law and political science in Straßburg. He worked for several years in local government and in 1906 was named as the mayor of Straßburg. During the War, he headed Germany's Ministry of Finance for about four months, but then returned directly to the town hall at Straßburg.

After the War, he served as Senior President of the Hesse-Nassau Province, continually turning down offers to work as a minister within the Weimar Republic. He died on Christmas Day 1950 in Oberursul, Taunus.