The son of a German immigrant who became Attorney-General and a Supreme Court judge, Hermann followed in his father鈥檚 footsteps by becoming Attorney General of South Australia in the Peake Government (1909-1910) and the Butler Government (1927-1930). In these roles Homburg was noted for his integrity and capability.
Homburg鈥檚 pride in his German descent and the anti-German sentiment evident in South Australia during the First World War, led to his resignation from the Peake Government and the loss of his seat in the 1914 election. He resumed practice as a solicitor and took an active role in the German secular community before returning to parliament in 1933.
Though a member of parliament at the outbreak of the Second World War, Homburg鈥檚 German interests aroused suspicion and he was interned in 1940, being released on the condition that he did not reside in South Australia. On appeal it was determined that Homburg鈥檚 internment was the result of those seeking to damage his reputation by using the 鈥榓ccusation without proof鈥� provisions of the War Precautions Act.