Josef Schmitt (22. August 1875 – 1945), later ''Ritter Josef Schmitt'' was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Lawyer,
Knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of 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. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
, and
Privy Councilor
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
. 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 "Freiherr" (Baron). As with most titles a ...
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: ''Svenska Kullagerfabriken''; 'Swedish Ball Bearing Factory') is a Swedish bearing and seal manufacturing company founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1907. The company manufactures and supplies bearings, seals, lubrication and l ...
, 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 (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...
and
Disconto-Gesellschaft
The Disconto-Gesellschaft (full name: Direktion der Disconto-Gesellschaft), with headquarters in Berlin, was founded in 1851. It was, until its 1929 merger into Deutsche Bank, one of the largest German banking organizations.
History
It was fou ...
'' and the ''Allianz and Stuttgarter Verein Versicherungs-AG'', later
Allianz.
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 municipal ...
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. The University of Würzburg is one of ...
. 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
University of Erlangen–Nuremberg (german: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, FAU) is a public research university in the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The name Friedrich–Alexander comes from the univ ...
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 of the II. Bavarian Artillery Corps in Würzburg, at which time he was awarded an
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...
. 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: ''Svenska Kullagerfabriken''; 'Swedish Ball Bearing Factory') is a Swedish bearing and seal manufacturing company founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1907. The company manufactures and supplies bearings, seals, lubrication and l ...
, 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 (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...
and
Disconto-Gesellschaft
The Disconto-Gesellschaft (full name: Direktion der Disconto-Gesellschaft), with headquarters in Berlin, was founded in 1851. It was, until its 1929 merger into Deutsche Bank, one of the largest German banking organizations.
History
It was fou ...
'' and the ''Allianz and Stuttgarter Verein Versicherungs-AG'', later
Allianz
Privy Councilor
Josef Schmitt was later appointed
Privy Councilor
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
to the crown of
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
. 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 (german: Verdienstorden der Bayerischen Krone) was an order of merit of the Kingdom of Bavaria established by King Maximilian Joseph I on 19 March 1808. The motto of the order is Virtus et Honos ('Courage ...
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
, status = Abolished by decree of Louis XVI on 20 June 1790Reestablished by Louis XVIII on 16 November 1816Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC
, founder = Louis XI of France
, h ...
* Awarding
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...
II. Class
* The
Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown
The Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown (german: Verdienstorden der Bayerischen Krone) was an order of merit of the Kingdom of Bavaria established by King Maximilian Joseph I on 19 March 1808. The motto of the order is Virtus et Honos ('Courage ...
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 (german: Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden) was the highest military 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 th ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmitt, Josef
1875 births
1945 deaths
People from Bamberg
University of Würzburg alumni
Josef
German Army personnel of World War I