Albert from Otto

Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Albert Otto , from 1898 from Otto ; (* December 23, 1836 in Blankenburg / Harz ; † September 15, 1922 in Braunschweig ) was a German administrative officer and politician.

Minister of State Albert von Otto in the magazine " Die Woche "

Life and work

Albert Otto grew up as the son of a higher court attorney and notary as well as later mayor of Blankenburg / Harz, a city that at that time belonged to the Duchy of Braunschweig . After graduating from the Herzogliche Gymnasium Blankenburg , he studied law in Göttingen and joined the fraternity of Hannovera . He continued his studies in Heidelberg and passed the first state examination in law in Braunschweig in 1858. After completing his military service, he was an auditor ( trainee lawyer ) and passed the second state examination in law in 1863.

Following this, Albert Otto held various positions in the judiciary of the Duchy of Braunschweig , and in 1870/71 he took part in the war against France . In 1872 Albert Otto switched to administrative service and initially worked for the ducal police headquarters, then for several years as a state syndic. In March 1884, Duke Wilhelm von Braunschweig appointed him to the State Ministry of the Duchy and at the same time appointed him a real secret councilor.

→ Main article : Regency over the Duchy of Braunschweig

Duke Wilhelm died on October 18, 1884. Since he had no legitimate descendants, Duke Ernst August von Cumberland (1845–1923), the last Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Hanover annexed by Prussia in 1866, was actually called to succeed him. This did not recognize the incorporation of Hanover into the Prussian state. For this reason, a Regency Law had been passed by Duke Wilhelm while he was still alive, ie a Regency Council met immediately after his death, to which Albert Otto belonged. At the request of Prussia , the Federal Council decided that the Duke of Cumberland would not be able to take office. On October 21, 1885, the state assembly of the Duchy of Braunschweig elected Prince Albrecht of Prussia , a Prussian general and nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm I , as regent. He cared little about state affairs and relied on Albert Otto, whom he appointed in 1889 as the leading minister and authorized representative of the Duchy of Braunschweig at the Federal Council. In 1898 he was raised to hereditary nobility.

Albert von Otto was anxious to reach a good understanding with Prussia and suppressed all Guelph efforts in the country. By means of a military convention with Prussia, the Braunschweig armed forces were placed under Prussian supervision. Incidentally, von Otto was successful in reducing the debt of the state of Braunschweig and in establishing important industry. Prince Albrecht died on September 13, 1906. A regency council met again immediately, headed by Albert von Otto. For just under eight months (September 13, 1906 - June 5, 1907) he, who had in the meantime been ennobled but came from the middle classes, was a sovereign. Such a position - comparable, but probably even more respected than that of the mayor of an imperial city between 1815 and 1918 - was held by very few people who did not belong to the high nobility.

On June 6, 1907, the regional assembly elected Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg as the new regent. In contrast to Prince Albrecht of Prussia, the latter took great care of the country's affairs and gradually took the view that it would be entirely appropriate to find a pretender from the Guelph family for the Duchy of Braunschweig . The collaboration with Albert von Otto became more and more difficult, so that he - already 74 years old at the time - received the requested release on April 30, 1911.

Albert von Otto was buried in the family grave of the family v. Otto is buried in the forest cemetery in Blankenburg am Harz , in the upper rear part.

Digression

The second-born son Ernst August of the aforementioned Duke Ernst August von Cumberland, whose older brother Georg Wilhelm was killed in a car accident in 1912, married Princess Viktoria Luise , the only daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II , in September 1913 . This brought about a reconciliation of the families with the result that he ascended the throne on November 1, 1913 as Duke Ernst August of Braunschweig.

Honors

1888 Awarded the title “ Excellence ”, 1887 Dr. H. c. of the Law Faculty of the University of Göttingen , 1891 conferred the title " Minister of State ", 1898 elevated to the hereditary nobility, 1908 honorary citizen of his native town Blankenburg / Harz, holder of high orders, such as the Grand Cross of the ducal Brunswick order Heinrich the Lion with diamonds and a multitude of Orders from Russia, Bulgaria and German states, u. a. on his departure in 1911 from the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle 1st class with diamonds.

literature

• Otto Hohnstein: History of the Duchy of Braunschweig . Verlag der Buchhandlung F. Bartels Nachf., Braunschweig 1908.
• Wilhelm Hartwieg: About Braunschweig's throne 1912/13 . ACO Druck- und Verlags-GmbH, Braunschweig 1964.
• Richard Moderhack: Braunschweig national history at a glance . Self-published by the Braunschweigischer Geschichtsverein, 2nd edition, 1977.
• Richard Moderhack (Hrsg.): Braunschweigische Landesgeschichte at a glance. 3. Edition. Waisenhaus-Buchdruckerei und Verlag, Braunschweig 1979 ( sources and research on Braunschweigische Geschichte 23, ZDB -ID 515291-4 ).
• Horst-Rüdiger Jarck and Günter Scheel (eds.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon . Hahnsche Buchhandlung Verlag , Hanover 1996, p. 452 f. ISBN 3-7752-5838-8 .
• Henning Tegtmeyer : Directory of members of the fraternity Hannovera Göttingen 1848–1998 . Düsseldorf 1998
• Helge Dvorak: Biographical Lexicon of the German Burschenschaft. Volume I: Politicians. Sub-Volume 4: M-Q. Winter, Heidelberg 2000, ISBN 3-8253-1118-X , p. 262 ff.

predecessor	Office	successor
Albrecht of Prussia	Regent of Braunschweig 1906–1907	Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg