Léon Kauffman (16 August 1869 – 25 March 1952)Thewes (2011), p. 75 was a

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

ish

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He was

prime minister of Luxembourg The prime minister of Luxembourg (; ; ) is the head of government of Luxembourg. The prime minister leads the executive branch, chairs the Cabinet and appoints its ministers. Since 1989, the title of ''Prime Minister'' has been an official one, ...

, serving for one year, from 18 June 1917 until 28 September 1918.

Biography

After studying law, in 1893 Kauffman was appointed an ''Attaché'' of the ''Parquet Général'', and then was a justice of the peace in

Echternach Echternach (, ; or locally ) is a commune with town status in the canton of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg. History The town grew around the Abbey of Echt ...

from 1898 to 1900. Then he was a senior civil servant from 1902 to 1910. In 1910 he became director of the tax administration and president of the ''Assurances sociales''. In 1916 he became Director-General (Minister) of Finance, until 1918. In 1917 there was a crisis within the Thorn Ministry, as the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

had withdrawn confidence from agriculture minister Michel Welter.Thewes (2011), p. 69 On 19 June 1917 Kauffman put together a Right-Liberal government, in which he was prime minister, as well as the Foreign and Finance Minister.Thewes (2011), p. 72 Under this government, changes to the constitution were put into motion which were to introduce

universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...

. There were disagreements, however, as the government refused, as the Chamber demanded, to establish the origins of sovereign power "in the nation," instead of "in the person of the Grand Duke", as hitherto. When it became known that the prime minister had been present at a private visit of the German chancellor

Georg von Hertling Georg Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Hertling, from 1914 Count von Hertling, (31 August 1843 – 4 January 1919) was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party. He was foreign minister and minister president of Bavaria, then imperial chance ...

Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), s ...

on 16 August 1918, the government was reformed. Léon Kauffman resigned as prime minister on 28 September 1918. From 1915 to 1945 he was a member, and from 1945 to 1952 he was president of the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

. From 1923 to 1952, he was president of the executive board of the

Banque Internationale à Luxembourg Banque Internationale à Luxembourg S.A. (BIL, "International Bank in Luxembourg": Luxembourgish: ''International Bank zu Lëtzebuerg'') is the oldest private bank in Luxembourg. It offers commercial and corporate banking services, and was the co ...

. He died in 1952 in Luxembourg City.

Personal life

He was married to Madeleine Joséphine Franck, and had one son.

Footnotes

References

* , - , - , - Ministers for finances of Luxembourg Prime ministers of Luxembourg Ministers for foreign affairs of Luxembourg Presidents of the Council of State of Luxembourg Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg) Members of the Council of State of Luxembourg Party of the Right (Luxembourg) politicians Luxembourgian bankers Luxembourgian people of World War I 1869 births 1952 deaths Politicians from Luxembourg City 20th-century Luxembourgian politicians {{Luxembourg-politician-stub