Ernst Albert Karl Wilhelm Ludwig von Bodelschwingh auf Velmede (26 November 179418 May 1854) was a Prussian politician. Von Bodelschwingh-Velmede was born in Velmede, near

Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...

in the County of Mark as the son of Franz Christoph Gisbert Friedrich Wilhelm von Bodelschwingh, Herr auf Velmede (1754–1827) and his wife Friederike Charlotte Sophie Wilhelmine Henriette von Bodelschwingh, née Freiin von Plettenberg. He studied Law and Cameralism at the University of Berlin and the University of Göttingen. He participated in the ''

Freiheitskriege The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Frenc ...

'' ("liberty wars"), and at Leipzig earned the Iron Cross first class; he was heavily wounded at Freiburg on 21 October 1813. He subsequently completed his studies at the University of Berlin, and in 1817 entered government service. From 1822 he was an administrator (''Landrat'') of

Kreis Tecklenburg Kreis is the German word for circle. Kreis may also refer to: Places * , or circles, various subdivisions roughly equivalent to counties, districts or municipalities ** Districts of Germany (including and ) ** Former districts of Prussia, al ...

in Westphalia, from 1831 president of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Trier, and from November 1834 ''Oberpräsident'' of the

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...

, in which he served during a turbulent time. In 1842, von Bodelschwingh-Velmede became

Finance Minister of Prussia Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of ...

, and

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in 1845. In 1847, he attempted to lead the United Diet (''Vereinigter Landtag''), but failed. He did not sympathize with the Revolutions of 1848, and on 19 March resigned to enter the Prussian '' Abgeordnetenhaus'' (lower house), first in January 1849 and again after a new electoral law was imposed in 1849. He was later elected to the

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...

city council as well. In the Prussian legislature he supported the '' Unionpolitik'' of the government. In the legislative session from 1850 to 1851 he was leader of the '' Zentrumspartei''. In 1852 he was appointed president of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Arnsberg. He died in 1854 while on an official trip to

Medebach Medebach () is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Medebach is situated approximately east of Winterberg, south-west of Korbach and north of Marburg. Neighbouring municipalities * Korbach * L ...

. His brother, Karl von Bodelschwingh-Velmede, was also active in Prussian politics and Finance Minister of Prussia.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bodelschwingh-Velmede, Ernst von 1794 births 1854 deaths People from the County of Mark Prussian politicians University of Göttingen alumni Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Prussian Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Recipients of the Iron Cross (1813) Recipients of the Iron Cross, 1st class Interior ministers of Prussia Finance ministers of Prussia