George William Edward Ernest von Zedlitz (10 March 1871– 24 May 1949) was a New Zealand professor of modern languages.

Background

Von Zedlitz was born in 1871 at Herrmannswaldau, which at the time was located in Germany. His mother was an Englishwoman and he was raised principally in England. His father was Sigismund Freiherr von Zedlitz and Neukirch (1838-1903). On 4 January 1905 he married Alice Maud Fitzgerald the eldest daughter of Lower Hutt mayor

William Alfred Fitzherbert William Alfred Fitzherbert (1842 – 2 February 1906) was the first Mayor of Lower Hutt, New Zealand, from when Lower Hutt became a borough in 1891 to 1898. He was an engineer and farmer in New Zealand. William Fitzherbert was born in London in 1 ...

, who built a house ''Norbury'' in Lower Hutt (now Minoh Friendship House) for them.

Academic career

The von Zedlitz building at Victoria University of Wellington

In 1902, Von Zedlitz was appointed as a professor of modern languages at

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

, and was the fifth professor to join the college. He also served as an official government translator. Following the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the New Zealand Government requested to have him dismissed from his post, a request that was rebuffed by the university. The subsequent passing of the ''Alien Enemy Teachers Act 1915'' enabled the Government to overrule the university. In 1936 he was made

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

, and elected to the Senate of the

University of New Zealand The University of New Zealand was New Zealand's sole degree-granting university from 1874 to 1961. It was a collegiate university embracing several constituent institutions at various locations around New Zealand. After it was dissolved in 196 ...

Death and legacy

He died in Wellington on 24 May 1949. In May 1979,

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

officially opened the Von Zedlitz building on their Kelburn campus. Named in his honour, the building houses the School of Languages and Cultures. Between 1906 and 1917, George von Zedlitz was the guide and the teacher of the younger days of Diamond Jenness, a pioneer of Canadian anthropology.Barnett Richling - In Twilight and in dawn, a biography of Diamond Jenness, 2012,

References

External links

von Zedlitz Building, Victoria University of Wellington
1871 births 1949 deaths Victoria University of Wellington faculty Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford German emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand translators People from Złotoryja County {{NewZealand-writer-stub