Lorenzo Brentano (November 4, 1813 – September 18, 1891) 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 ...

revolutionary and journalist who served as President of the Free State of Baden during the 1849 Baden Revolution. Following the failure of the revolutions, he and many other intellectuals and leaders fled to the United States, where he became editor of the

Illinois Staats-Zeitung ''Illinois Staats-Zeitung'' (''Illinois State Newspaper'') was one of the most well-known German-language newspapers of the United States; it was published in Chicago from 1848 until 1922. Along with the '' Westliche Post'' and ''Anzeiger des Wes ...

and eventually served as a member of the

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from

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Biography

Born as Lorenz Peter Carl Brentano in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...

, Grand Duchy of Baden, Germany, Brentano received a thorough classical training and studied jurisprudence at the Universities of Heidelberg and

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

. He practiced before the supreme court of Baden. Brentano was elected to the Chamber of Deputies and in 1848 to the

Frankfurt Parliament The Frankfurt Parliament (german: Frankfurter Nationalversammlung, literally ''Frankfurt National Assembly'') was the first freely elected parliament for all German states, including the German-populated areas of Austria-Hungary, elected on 1 Ma ...

. He served as president of the provisional republic of Baden established by the revolutionists in 1849. He was sentenced to imprisonment for life after the failure of the revolution, but sought refuge in the United States via Switzerland. He established ''Der Leuchtturm'', a German anti-slavery journal, in

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of th ...

. He settled in

Kalamazoo County, Michigan Kalamazoo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. , the population was 261,670. The county seat is Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo County is included in the Kalamazoo–Portage, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Kalamazoo Count ...

, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He moved to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, in 1859. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1859 and commenced practice in Chicago. He became editor-in-chief and principal proprietor of the ''

'' from 1862 to 1867. The paper was sold in 1867, and

Hermann Raster Hermann Raster (May 6, 1827 – July 24, 1891) was an American editor, abolitionist, writer, and anti-temperance political boss who served as chief editor and part-owner of the ''Illinois Staats-Zeitung'', a widely circulated newspaper in the G ...

took over Brentano's position as editor. He served as member of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1862, as a member of the Chicago Board of Education 1862–1868 (serving as its president in 1867 and 1868), and as a delegate to the 1864 Republican National Convention. In 1868 he was presidential

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on the

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and Colfax ticket. In 1869, a general amnesty having been granted to the revolutionists of 1849, he revisited his native land. He was appointed United States consul at

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

in 1872 and served until April 1876. Brentano's son

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would become the first American ambassador to

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. Brentano was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Forty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1878. After leaving Congress, he engaged in literary and historical research designed to compare and contrast the American and European codes of criminal procedure. In this line of work he published a report of the trial of the assassin of President

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, and a history of the celebrated case of Kring v. Missouri (see

List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 107 This is a list of cases reported in volume 107 of ''United States Reports'', decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1883, along with one case from 1882. Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 107 U.S. The Su ...

). He died in Chicago, and was interred in

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brentano, Lorenzo 1813 births 1891 deaths Politicians from Mannheim Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) German-American Forty-Eighters German revolutionaries German people of Italian descent Members of the Frankfurt Parliament Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from the Grand Duchy of Baden People of the Revolutions of 1848 Politicians from Chicago Heidelberg University alumni University of Freiburg alumni Members of the Second Chamber of the Diet of the Grand Duchy of Baden Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Publishers (people) of German-language newspapers in the United States Illinois Staats-Zeitung people 19th-century American politicians Presidents of the Chicago Board of Education