Hans Dessauer senior (June 24, 1869 in Aschaffenburg – October 23, 1926) was a German industrialist and politician. Dessauer was born in Aschaffenburg in a family of industrialists who owned the , a leading coloured paper factory with a long tradition. His parents were Philipp Dessauer (in German) and Maria Elisabeth Vossen, a daughter of the paint manufacturer Franz Vossen in Aachen. Dessauer first attended the Gymnasium in Aschaffenburg, then went to RWTH Aachen University in Aachen. Subsequently, he studied chemistry in Freiburg and Munich and received his doctorate there in 1892 with a thesis on pyrazoline and trimethylen derivates. As a student, Dessauer was an active member of Catholic students' associations.