Sir Max Leonard Waechter (29 July 1837 – 3 October 1924) was a businessman, art collector, philanthropist and advocate of a federal Europe.

Career

Waechter was born in Stettin, then in Germany and now

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

in Poland. His father was Julius Leonard Waechter, a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

pastor. He went to England in 1859 and was naturalised as a British citizen in 1865. Waechter became a partner in Bessler, Waechter, and Co., a merchant firm. He advocated improved relations between Britain and Germany and in 1913 founded the European Federation League. GloversIsle01

Waechter lived in Terrace House on Richmond Hill. He held the post of

High Sheriff of Surrey The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex (1229–1231, 1232–1240, 1242–1567, 1571–1635). 1066–1228 (High Sheriffs of Surrey only) 1229– ...

in 1902. Waechter was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

in the

1902 Birthday Honours The 1902 Birthday Honours were announced on 10 November 1902, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII the previous day. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and the British Empire. The list was publi ...

and knighted by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

on 18 December 1902.

Family

Waechter married twice. His first wife, whom he married at St John the Divine, Richmond in 1873, was Harriett Shallcross, whose father, the Liberal MP Thomas Cave, owned Queensberry House. His second wife was Armatrude Hobart. His only son, Harry Waechter, also a businessman and philanthropist, was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1911.

Death and legacy

Waechter contributed, anonymously, to a fund established to erect a memorial in Richmond to Princess Mary, Duchess of Teck; a memorial fountain was erected outside the Richmond Gate to

Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, Cha ...

. Waechter owned

Glover's Island Glover’s Island (originally called Petersham Ait and also known as Clam Island) is a small island in a tree-lined section of the Thames River, known as Horse Reach on the Tideway, tidal Thames, between Richmond Lock and Footbridge, Richmond ...

which he donated to the Borough of Richmond in 1900. He helped preserve the view from

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

across the river by preventing destructive development. Waechter died in 1924 and is buried in

Richmond Cemetery Richmond Cemetery is a cemetery on Lower Grove Road in Richmond, London, Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It opened in 1786 on a plot of land granted by an Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom, Act of Parliame ...

Publications

* Waechter, Max: ''European Federation: A Lecture Delivered at the London Institution on the 25th February 1909'', Jordan & Sons, Limited, 1909, 15pp. * Waechter, Max: ''The United States of Europe: How to Make War Impossible'', Twentieth Century Press, 1922, 11pp. * Waechter, Max: ''How to Abolish War: The United States of Europe'', 1924, 12pp. * Waechter, Max: ''The Principal Lesson of the Balkan Wars'' OCLC 82740175

Career

Family

Death and legacy

Publications

See also

References

Further reading