Albert Lotz

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Albert Lotz (born October 24, 1858 in Cassel , † March 22, 1926 in Marburg ) was a Prussian civil servant, member of parliament and university professor in the field of administrative science .

Life

Lotz studied law and obtained a doctorate in law . jur. After the examination for senior administrative officials in 1887, he worked for the government in Bromberg . He later moved to the Reich Insurance Office as a temporary laborer . He then worked in the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Between 1890 and 1894 he was district administrator in Leer . From 1894 to 1898 Lotz was district administrator in Melsungen . He then worked as a councilor in Liegnitz and from 1902 in Münster .

In Münster, from the winter semester 1902/1903, he was also a lecturer at the law and political science faculty of the university there . There he taught administrative, constitutional and international law, constitutional, financial and economic history.

Lotz, who came from administrative practice, tried since 1904 to achieve equality with the other honorary professors. This initially failed because his "literary achievement" was not considered sufficient. In 1906 he was appointed professor. In 1910 he finally gave up teaching administrative law.

Since 1893 Lotz was a member of the Prussian House of Representatives for the constituency Aurich 3 (Leer, Weener ). He did not belong to any party, but from 1904 to 1908 he sat in on the faction of the free conservative party , which he joined in 1908. He was a member of parliament until 1911, when he resigned because of his promotion.

From 1911 to 1921 he worked at the Prussian Higher Administrative Court .

Administrative positions

He became known scientifically for his history of the German civil service. During the German Empire, Lotz played a not insignificant role in the public discussion about the role of civil servants in state and society. In connection with the discipline of the conservative sewer rebels , he questioned the previous concept of the political official. He argued that officials could not be asked to "defend the legislative plans pursued by the government in any case," since the ministers would change but the officials remained. He therefore demanded the possibility of free political activity for civil servants, since in political life they would act as private individuals and not as civil servants. Gustav Schmoller went too far with this demand and tried to mitigate it by adding an afterword and a corresponding article by Lotz.

As part of the Immediate Commission for a far-reaching administrative reform, Lotz saw the ministries' striving for centralization as a reason that would prevent the goals of decentralization of the administration and increased self-administration.

Despite all the criticism, Lotz saw the German professional civil service as the real vehicle for social progress.

Works (selection)

  • History of the German civil service. Berlin: Decker, 1909
  • Right to ruling on Prussian administrative law: selected decisions by the highest court. Münster iW: Obertüschen, 1909

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mann, Bernhard (edit.): Biographical manual for the Prussian House of Representatives. 1867-1918 . Collaboration with Martin Doerry , Cornelia Rauh and Thomas Kühne . Düsseldorf: Droste Verlag, 1988, p. 253 (handbooks on the history of parliamentarism and political parties: vol. 3); for the election results see Thomas Kühne: Handbook of elections to the Prussian House of Representatives 1867–1918. Election results, election alliances and election candidates (= handbooks on the history of parliamentarism and political parties. Volume 6). Droste, Düsseldorf 1994, ISBN 3-7700-5182-3 , pp. 507-509.
  2. ^ Otto Büsch / Wolfgang Neugebauer: Modern Prussian History, 1648–1947: An anthology. Walter de Gruyter, 1981 p. 725 Partially digitized
  3. ↑ Bärbel Holtz / Hartwin Spenkuch: Prussia's path to political modernity: constitution, administration, political culture between reform and blockade of reform. Berlin, Akademie Verlag 2001. p. 355 Partial digitization
  4. ↑ Horst Dreier: Hierarchical administration in the democratic state: genesis, current importance and functional limits of a building principle of the executive. Mohr Siebeck, 1991 p. 68 Partial digitization

literature

  • Sebastian Felz: In the spirit of truth? Between science and politics: The Münster jurists from the Weimar Republic to the early Federal Republic. In: Hans-Ulrich Thamer , Daniel Droste, Sabine Happ (eds.): The University of Münster in National Socialism. Continuities and breaks between 1920 and 1960 (= publications of the Münster University Archives. Volume 5). Aschendorff, Münster 2012, Vol. 1, pp. 347-412.
  • Lieselotte Steveling: Jurists in Münster: A contribution to the history of the law and political science faculty of the Westphalian Wilhelms-Universität Münster / Westf. Münster u. a., 1999. Partial digitization
  • Minutes of the Prussian State Ministry, Vol. 9, p. 389 Digitized version (PDF; 2.9 MB)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Lotz, Albert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Civil servant, administrative scientist and member of parliament (freikons.)
DATE OF BIRTH October 24, 1858
PLACE OF BIRTH kassel
DATE OF DEATH March 22, 1926
Place of death Marburg