Hans von Hammerstein-Loxten explained

Office:Prussian Minister of the Interior
Primeminister:Bernhard von Bülow
Term Start:1901
Term End:1905
Predecessor:Georg von Rheinbaben
Successor:Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg
Birth Name:Hans Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von Hammerstein-Loxten
Birth Date:27 April 1843
Birth Place:Lüneburg, Kingdom of Hanover
Death Place:Berlin
Parents:Wilhelm von Hammerstein
Julia von dem Knesebeck
Spouse:Marie Elisabeth Charlotte von Rabiel

Hans Christian Friedrich Wilhelm, Freiherr von Hammerstein-Loxten (April 27, 1843 – March 20, 1905) was a Prussian civil servant and politician who served as Interior Minister.

Early life

Hammerstein-Loxten was born on April 27, 1843, in Lüneburg in the Kingdom of Hanover. He came from the younger branch of the Loxten line of the Hammerstein noble family. He was a son of Julia, Baroness von dem Knesebeck (1811–1889), and Wilhelm von Hammerstein (1808–1872), who served as Minister of Finance and Interior in Hanover, until 1865, and then Minister of State in Mecklenburg-Strelitz until 1872.[1] [2]

His maternal grandfather was Hanoverian Major-General . His uncles included Maj.-Gen. Bernhard von dem Knesebeck, and Lt.-Gen. Ernst Julius Georg von dem Knesebeck. Distantly related to Ernst von Hammerstein-Loxten, his paternal grandparents were Dorothea Agnies Sophie von Plato and landowner and soldier Christian von Hammerstein.[3]

He studied law in Heidelberg, Bonn and Göttingen.

Career

In 1864 he passed the auditor's examination in Hanover. In 1866 he became Federal War Commissioner for the Hanoverian Army. After the annexation of 1866 where it became the Prussian Province of Hanover, he entered the Prussian judicial service and after the Franco-Prussian War into the service of the judiciary of Alsace-Lorraine. From 1869 he was an assessor with the government in Koblenz, in 1870 with the government in Nancy, in 1871 with the government in Strasbourg and in 1871 he was appointed district director in the Colmar district. He later switched to an administrative career. Between 1878 and 1883, Hammerstein-Loxten was district and police director in Mulhouse. He then became district president of the District of Lorraine, based in Metz. In 1896 he was appointed Real Privy Councilor. From 1901 until his death, Hammerstein-Loxten was the Prussian Minister of the Interior.[4] He was also a member of the State Council and a representative of the Federal Council.

Hammerstein-Loxten took a tough line in Polish policy. The police and administration were strictly anti-Polish, especially in the eastern provinces.[5] The settlement policy was intended to Germanize Polish areas. The language policy he helped to implement led to the Wreschen school strike in 1906. Hammerstein-Loxten basically acted in the spirit of Bernhard von Bülow, but the Interior Minister's uncompromising manner often went too far for the prime minister.[6]

Personal life

On September 14, 1872, Hammerstein married Marie Elisabeth Charlotte von Rabiel (1849–1922).[7] Together, they were the parents of:

Baron von Hammerstein-Loxten died on March 20, 1905, in Berlin.[9]

Honors and legacy

Hammersteinstrasse (German: Hammersteinstraße) in Berlin was named after Hammerstein-Loxten - along with other streets that were dedicated to Prussian ministers in connection with the exploitation of the Dahlem domain.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Röhl . John C. G. . The Kaiser and His Court: Wilhelm II and the Government of Germany . 27 June 1996 . . 978-0-521-56504-2 . 139 . 1 February 2024 . en.
  2. Book: Mösslang . Markus . Whatmore . Helen . British Envoys to the Kaiserreich, 1871-1897 . 2016 . . 978-1-107-17026-1 . 544 . 1 February 2024 . en.
  3. Book: Genealogisches Taschenbuch der freiherrlichen Häuser auf das Jahr .. . 1853 . Perthes . 189 . 1 February 2024 . de.
  4. Book: Steinhoff . Anthony J. . The Gods of the City: Protestantism and Religious Culture in Strasbourg, 1870-1914 . 2008 . BRILL . 978-90-04-16405-5 . 461 . 1 February 2024 . en.
  5. Book: Steinmetz . George . Regulating the Social: The Welfare State and Local Politics in Imperial Germany . 9 August 1993 . . 978-1-4008-2096-2 . 119 . 1 February 2024 . en.
  6. Book: Anderson . Margaret Lavinia . Practicing Democracy: Elections and Political Culture in Imperial Germany . 13 April 2021 . . 978-0-691-22953-9 . 249 . 1 February 2024 . en.
  7. Book: Herzl . Theodor . The Complete Diaries of Theodor Herzl . 1960 . Herzl Press . 1737 . 1 February 2024 . en.
  8. Web site: Hammerstein-Loxten, Günther Freiherr von - Deutsche Biographie . www.deutsche-biographie.de . . 1 February 2024 . de.
  9. Web site: Hammerstein-Loxten, Hans Freiherr von . www.deutsche-biographie.de . . 1 February 2024 . de.
  10. Book: Adreßbuch der Landeshauptstadt Hannover: 1982 . 1964 . Dorn . 209 . 1 February 2024 . de.