Alois Ritter (9 June 1897 – 31 January 1966) was a lawyer and politician from

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

who served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein in 1954 and again in 1956. He also served in the

Landtag of Liechtenstein The Landtag of the Principality of Liechtenstein () is the unicameral parliament of Liechtenstein. Qualifications Citizens who have attained the age of 18, have permanent residency in the country and have lived in the country for at least on ...

from 1945 to 1958.

Early life

Ritter was born on 9 June 1897 in

Ruggell Ruggell (; dialectal: ''Ruggäll'') is a municipality of Liechtenstein. It is the northernmost and lowest elevated municipality. As of 2019, it has a population of 2,322. History Ruggell has an ancient history, with evidence of human activity pre ...

to the father of embroiderer and farmer Wilhelm Ritter and his mother Maria Biedermann as one of two children. He attended high school in Feldkirch and then studied law in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, where he received a diploma in 1925.

Career

Ritter worked as a lawyer in

Vaduz Vaduz (; or ; High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' ...

and in 1926 joined with fellow lawyer

Wilhelm Beck Wilhelm Beck (, ; 26 March 1885 – 20 January 1936) was a lawyer and politician from Liechtenstein who was the founder of the Christian-Social People's Party and later served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 1922 to 1927 ...

in his law firm which became Ritter & Beck Rechtsanwälte. He entered politics as the editor of the Liechtensteiner Volkswirt between 1927 and 1928. He was nominated to be

Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein The head of government of Liechtenstein (), known informally as the prime minister, is the chief executive of the Government of Liechtenstein and chairs the cabinet of Liechtenstein. They are appointed by the sovereign prince of Liechtenstein ...

under

Gustav Schädler Gustav Schädler (, ;18 November 1883 – 19 June 1961) was a teacher and politician from Liechtenstein who served as List of heads of government of Liechtenstein, Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1922 to 1928. He previously served in the Land ...

but was defeated in the

1928 Liechtenstein general election General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 15 July 1928, with a second round on 29 July. Early elections was called after Prince Johann II forced the resignation of the Christian-Social People's Party government of Prime Minister Gustav Sch ...

Ludwig Marxer Ludwig Marxer (27 April 1897 – 20 February 1962) was a lawyer and politician from Liechtenstein who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1928 to 1933, under the government of Josef Hoop. Early life Marxer was born on 27 ...

and

Josef Hoop Franz Josef Hoop (; 14 December 1895 – 19 October 1959) was a diplomat and politician from Liechtenstein who served as Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1928 to 1945. He later served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 19 ...

. Ritter became Vice President of the

Liechtenstein Homeland Service Liechtenstein Homeland Service (, LHD) was a political party in Liechtenstein that advocated corporate statism and the abolition of party politics. Shortly after its founding, the party also moved towards Nazism. It merged with the Christian-Soci ...

and then the Vice President of the Patriotic Union under President

Otto Schaedler Otto Schaedler ( , ; 9 June 1898 – 25 December 1965) was a physician and political figure from Liechtenstein who served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein and was one of the founders of the Patriotic Union party. Early life Schaedler was born ...

after the Liechtenstein Homeland Service merged with the Christian-Social People's Party to form the party in 1936. He held this position until 1940. He played a key role in negotiations between the Patriotic Union and the

Progressive Citizens' Party The Progressive Citizens' Party in Liechtenstein (, FBP) is a Conservatism, conservative List of political parties in Liechtenstein, political party in Liechtenstein. The FBP is one of the two major party, major List of political parties in Liech ...

on forming the coalition government between the two parties overseen by

Franz Joseph II Franz Joseph II (Franz Josef Maria Alois Alfred Karl Johannes Heinrich Michael Georg Ignaz Benediktus Gerhardus Majella; 16 August 1906 – 13 November 1989) was the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein from 25 July 1938 until his death in November ...

in the wake of the Anschluss of Austria. Ritter was a moderate figure within the Patriotic Union and often acted on

realpolitik ''Realpolitik'' ( ; ) is the approach of conducting diplomatic or political policies based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than strictly following ideological, moral, or ethical premises. In this respect, ...

model. He went on to serve in the

from 1945 to 1958, where he served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein twice from January 1954 to December 1954 and again from January 1956 to December 1956.Vogt, Paul (1987). ''125 Jahre Landtag.'' Vaduz: Landtag of the Principality of Liechtenstein. He also served as a judge in the Staatsgerichtshof from 1959 to 1966. Ritter died on 31 January 1966 in

, at the age of 68 years old.

Personal life and family

RitterFamilyGrave-CemeteryOfVaduz RomanDeckert04012024

Ritter married Isabella Gassner on 29 November 1928 (22 November 1904 – 31 December 1996) and they had 3 children. His son

Karlheinz Ritter Karlheinz Ritter (1 July 1929 – 18 July 2008) was a lawyer and politician from Liechtenstein who served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 1970 to 1973 and again from 1978 to 1992. He is the longest-serving individual to hol ...

took over Ritter & Beck Rechtsanwälte upon his death and later served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from January 1970 to December 1973 and again from January 1978 to December 1992. Alois Ritter found his final resting place at the cemetery of Vaduz. His wife, their son Karlheinz and his wife Erika, née Kranz (1926-2014), were buried in the same grave.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritter, Alois 1897 births 1966 deaths Patriotic Union (Liechtenstein) members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein Presidents of the Landtag of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein lawyers 20th-century lawyers Liechtenstein judges Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (1945–1949) Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (1949–1953) Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (1953–1957) Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (1957–1962) Liechtenstein law firm executives Liechtenstein Nazis