Henri Kirpach (2 March 1841 – 25 April 1911) was a

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

ish politician and lawyer. Kirpach was born in 1841 in

Mamer Mamer () is a commune and town (strictly classified as a village) in south-western Luxembourg. It is located west of Luxembourg City. The commune includes both Mamer itself and the smaller communities of Capellen and Holzem. Mamer is situated o ...

. After studying in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, he started business in

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

as a lawyer. In 1870 he was first elected into the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

. On 6 August 1878 he became Director-General (Minister) for the Interior in the

Blochausen Ministry The Blochausen Ministry was the government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from 26 December 1874 to 20 February 1885. It was led by Baron Félix de Blochausen. Composition 26 December 1874 to 6 August 1878 * Félix de Blochausen: Minister of ...

. From 1885, he remained in this post in the Eyschen government, up until 1910. His name is connected with the education law of 20 April 1881, also known as the ''loi Kirpach'' ("Kirpach law"), which made school attendance mandatory between the ages of 6 and 12. This reform provoked bitter debates over the role of the state in society and the relations between church and state. The law also provided for a single system of public schools, and made it the state's duty to organise education. At the same time, however, the church remained involved, since the local parish priest was an ''ex officio'' member of the local commune's school commission, and the schoolteacher was under his supervision.Thewes, Guy
"Les gouvernements du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg depuis 1848"
. Service Information et Presse, 2011. p. 44-45 On 1 January 1910 Henri Kirpach became a member of the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

. He died in 1913 in Luxembourg City.

Honours

* Grand Officer of the

Order of the Oak Crown The Order of the Oak Crown (, , ) is an order (honour), order of the Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. History The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by William II of the Netherlands, Grand Duke William II, who was also King o ...

(1894)

References

People from Mamer 1841 births 1913 deaths Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg) 19th-century Luxembourgian lawyers 19th-century Luxembourgian politicians {{Luxembourg-politician-stub