By 1931 he had become SS-"Gruppenführer". When the Nazi Party seized power in 1933, he rose swiftly through the hierarchy. He became the commander of the "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (LSSAH) and member of the Prussian state council. As one of Hitler's intimates, Dietrich was often able to disregard his SS superior, Heinrich Himmler, at one time even banning Himmler from the "Leibstandarte" barracks. The LSSAH eventually grew into an elite division of the Waffen-SS. Although the unit was nominally under Himmler, Dietrich was the real commander and handled day-to-day administration.