Josef von Schmitt

Josef Ritter von Schmitt, (Born Josef Schmitt; 4 March 1838 - 16 April 1907)[1] was a Bavarian politician and jurist who served as the 14th President of Upper Franconia.

His Excellency

Josef Ritter von Schmitt

Dr.
14th President of Upper Franconia
In office
1900–1908
Preceded byTheodor von Muncker
Succeeded byAlexander von Feilitzsch
Regional Court President of Bamberg
In office
1884–1905
Privy Councilor of Bavaria
In office
1870–1907
Personal details
Born
Josef Schmitt

(1838-03-04)4 March 1838
Bamberg, Bavaria, German Empire
Died16 April 1907(1907-04-16) (aged 69)
Bamberg, Bavaria, German Empire
Spouse(s)
Isabella Lindner
​
(m. after 1865)​
Relatives
This article is part of
a series about
the von Schmitt family

von Schmitt also served as the President of the Court for the Kingdom of Bavaria, as well as the primary advisor to Prince Luitpold of Bavaria; in later life becoming a privy councilor[2] and an honorary citizen of the city of Bamberg. von Schmitt was also an avid businessman, holding positions on multiple large Conglomerates. Josef's brother, Gottfried Ritter von Schmitt, was President of the Bavarian Supreme Court.[3]

Career beginnings

Schmitt studied law at university and gained his PhD[4] to become a doctor of law (Dr. jur).[5][6][7] In his early life, Schmitt acted as a prosecutor and judge in his home town of Bamberg. He became a Bavarian Privy Councillor[2][8]

From 1870, Schmitt held the prestigious title of a Royal Lawyer of Bamberg, working directly with the crown of Bavaria. The profession of lawyer was at that time a state-assigned department. From 1884 to 1905 he was Regional Court President in Bamberg.

Later life

Schmitt was also, notably, an extremely successful businessman. In Gründerzeit, he was involved in numerous start-ups. He was on the board of Dresdner Bank,[9] Bankhaus Gebrüder Arnhold. From 1898 until his death he served as chairman of the board of the Schweinfurt ball producer " Fries & Höpflinger A.G"[10] which later merged to become the conglomerate SKF, and Schmitt contributed decisively to the boom of the company.[11][12][13]

Schmitt also performed a number of honorary functions, these included being chairman of the Community Plenipotentiary Collegium[14] and president of the district administrators in Bamberg.

Honours
Coat of arms of Ritter Josef von Schmitt, Granted by Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria

Schmitt was appointed an honorary citizen of Bamberg in 1889. The main street in Bamberg, "Dr.-von-Schmitt-Straße" also bears his name today.

In 1896 Prince Regent Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria awarded him the Ritterkreuz of Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown. With the award of the title and he was entered into German nobility with the title of Dr. Josef Ritter von Schmitt; Ritter is a hereditary title roughly equivalent to the British Baronet.

Literature
  • Heinz F. Fränkel: Bamberger Straßennamen.
  • Werner Schubert (2007), "Schmitt, Gottfried von", Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB) (in German), 23, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 234; (full text online) (Nebeneintrag)
  • Lothar Dorn: Zwei bedeutende Brüder aus Hofheim. Die Brüder Gottfried und Joseph Ritter von Schmitt. In: Chronik der Stadt Hofheim und ihrer Stadtteile. Arbeitskreis Hofheimer Stadtgeschichte. (Hrsg.). Hofheim 1993, S. 93–98.

Notes

Ritter is a German title that equates to the level of nobility of a Baronet, and uses the prefix 'sir'

References
  1. History of Bamberg- Ritter von Schmitt. Germany: Kommissionsverlag Buchner. 2003.
  2. Government, Bavarian (1907). Bavarian Laws. Bavaria: Bavarian Government.
  3. Kramer, Theodor (2002). Quellen und Forschungen zur Geschichte des Bistums und Hochstifts Würzburg. Würzburg: Kommissionsverlag F. Schöningh. ISBN 9783877170649.
  4. Technical schools in Bamberg. Germany. 1856.
  5. Schneider, Dr (1871). "Bamberger Daily Newspaper 1871".
  6. Bamberg Newspaper 1877. Germany: Bamberg News. 1877.
  7. The Bamberger Journal. Germany: The Bamberg Journal. 1879.
  8. Anton Bettelheim (Hrsg.): Biographisches Jahrbuch und deutscher Nekrolog von 1907–1908. Verlag G. Reimer, 1909 (Auszug)
  9. Handbook of german Stock companies. Germany: Unknown. 1943.
  10. Fuchs, Fabian (2013). Ein Faden Freude, ein Faden Leid: Die Hofer und Bamberger Textilindustrie von 1800-1920 im Vergleich. Hamburg: Disserta Verlag. ISBN 9783954252428.
  11. Engelbert Fries: Geschichte der Kugelindustrie. Typoskript, Schweinfurt 1929, S. 27.
  12. Zeitung, Tonindustrie (1908). Tonindustrie-Zeitung and Keramische Rundschau. Bamberg: Tonindustrie-Zeitung.
  13. Werkstatt und Betrieb. Bamberg. 1908.
  14. Historischer Verein Bamberg. Kommissionsverlag Buchner, 1914, Seite 174 (Auszug)
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