Josef Schmitt (22. August 1875 – 1945), later ''Ritter Josef Schmitt'' was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
Lawyer
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters.
The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
,
Knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
, and
Privy Councilor. He was born in Bavaria to
Ritter
Ritter (German for "knight") is a designation used as a title of nobility in German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second-lowest rank within the nobility, standing above " Edler" and below "" (Baron). As with most titles and desig ...
Josef von Schmitt, who was the advisor to
Prince Luitpold of Bavaria and a privy councilor. Josef Schmitt was, in later life, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of
SKF
AB SKF (, 'Swedish Ball Bearing Factory') is a Swedish bearing (mechanical), bearing and seal (mechanical), seal manufacturing company founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1907. The company manufactures and supplies bearings, seals, lubrication an ...
, the '' J. Mich AG '' in Bamberg, the '' AG Steinfels, formerly Hch. Knab '' in Steinfels, the '' H. Henniger Reifbräu AG '' in Erlangen and the '' Baumwollindustrie Erlangen-Bamberg AG '' in Erlangen. He was also a member of the supervisory boards of the '' AG für Licht- und Kraftversorgung '' in Munich, the ''
Porzellanfabrik Kloster Veilsdorf AG '', the '' porcelain manufacturer
C. M. Hutschenreuther AG '' in
Altrohlau and the '' Rizzibräu AG '' in Kulmbach. He was a member of the Bavarian State Committee of ''
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG (, ) is a Germany, German multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
...
and
Disconto-Gesellschaft
The Disconto-Gesellschaft (, full name Direktion der Disconto-Gesellschaft) was a significant German bank, founded in Berlin in 1851. It was one of the largest German banking organizations until its 1929 merger into Deutsche Bank.
History
The ...
'' and the ''Allianz and Stuttgarter Verein Versicherungs-AG'', later
Allianz
Allianz SE ( , ) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core businesses are insurance and asset management.
Allianz is the world's largest List of largest insurance ...
.
Early life
Josef was born into a devout Catholic family, and was originally brought into law through his father,
Josef von Schmitt, who was a Bavarian
privy councillor an advisor to the crown, and his uncle,
Gottfried von Schmitt, who served as member of the
Imperial Council of Bavaria, which served as the aristocratic government body of Bavaria.
Education and beginnings
After Josef Schmitt attended high school in
Münnerstadt
Münnerstadt is a town in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria, Germany. It has a population of around 7,600.
Geography
It borders on the towns of Burglauer, Bad Bocklet, Nüdlingen, Maßbach, Großbardorf, and Strahlungen. The municip ...
and served one year as a military volunteer, he studied law at the
University of Würzburg
The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. Founded in 1402, it is one of the ol ...
. In 1896 he became a member of the
Corps Bavaria.
[Kösener Corpslisten 1930, 137, 480] Schmitt later practised law from 1898 to 1901 at the District Court of Bamberg and studied in 1900 at the
University of Erlangen–Nuremberg
The Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (, FAU) is a Public University, public research university in the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The name Friedrich-Alexander is derived from the university's first ...
to become a doctor of law. Schmitt graduated in 1901 from the state bankruptcy and joined his father, the renowned
Josef von Schmitt's law firm, which he took over in 1908. In 1902, Schmitt received the admission as a lawyer in the District Court Bamberg and in 1903 at the Higher Regional Court. During the First World War, he participated from 1914 to 1918 as
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...
of the II. Bavarian Artillery Corps in Würzburg, at which time he was awarded an
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
. At the same time, he became chairman of the board of the bar association Bamberg.
Later life and positions
Enterprises
Josef Schmitt was chairman of the board of the ''Mechanischen Seilerwarenfabrik AG'' in Bamberg and the '' Kaliko-Fabrik AG'' in Bamberg. He was Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of
SKF
AB SKF (, 'Swedish Ball Bearing Factory') is a Swedish bearing (mechanical), bearing and seal (mechanical), seal manufacturing company founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1907. The company manufactures and supplies bearings, seals, lubrication an ...
, the '' J. Mich AG '' in Bamberg, the '' AG Steinfels, formerly Hch. Knab '' in Steinfels, the '' H. Henniger Reifbräu AG '' in Erlangen and the '' Baumwollindustrie Erlangen-Bamberg AG '' in Erlangen. He was also a member of the supervisory boards of the '' AG für Licht- und Kraftversorgung '' in Munich, the ''
Porzellanfabrik Kloster Veilsdorf AG '', the '' porcelain manufacturer
C. M. Hutschenreuther AG '' in
Altrohlau and the '' Rizzibräu AG '' in Kulmbach. He was a member of the Bavarian State Committee of ''
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG (, ) is a Germany, German multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
...
and
Disconto-Gesellschaft
The Disconto-Gesellschaft (, full name Direktion der Disconto-Gesellschaft) was a significant German bank, founded in Berlin in 1851. It was one of the largest German banking organizations until its 1929 merger into Deutsche Bank.
History
The ...
'' and the ''Allianz and Stuttgarter Verein Versicherungs-AG'', later
Allianz
Allianz SE ( , ) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core businesses are insurance and asset management.
Allianz is the world's largest List of largest insurance ...
Privy Councilor
Josef Schmitt was later appointed
Privy Councilor to the crown of
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
. He was also awarded the Knight's cross of St. Michael and
Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown
The Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown () was an Order (honour), order of merit of the Kingdom of Bavaria established by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, King Maximilian Joseph I on 19 March 1808. The motto of the order is "Virtus et Honos" ('Co ...
and was therefore known as Ritter Josef v. Schmitt
Awards
* Appointment to the Privy Councilor
* Award of the Knight's Cross of the
Order of Saint Michael
The Order of Saint Michael () is a French dynastic order of chivalry, founded by King Louis XI of France on 1 August 1469, in response to the Order of the Golden Fleece founded by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, Louis' chief competitor fo ...
* Awarding
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
II. Class
* The
Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown
The Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown () was an Order (honour), order of merit of the Kingdom of Bavaria established by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, King Maximilian Joseph I on 19 March 1808. The motto of the order is "Virtus et Honos" ('Co ...
Literature
* '' Schmitt, Josef '' in '' Reich Manual of German Society – The Handbook of Personalities in Word and Image. '' Second Volume, p. 1668, Deutscher Wirtschaftsverlag, Berlin 1931
See also
Military Order of Max Joseph
The Military Order of Max Joseph () was the highest military order (decoration), order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded on 1 January 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the first king of Bavaria. The order came in three classes:
...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmitt, Josef
1875 births
1945 deaths
People from Bamberg
University of Würzburg alumni
German Roman Catholics
Josef
German Army personnel of World War I