August von Wächter

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Johann August Freiherr von Wächter zu Lautenbach (also Waechter-Lautenbach * April 3, 1807 in The Hague ; † August 3, 1879 in Lautenbach ) was a Württemberg diplomat and politician.

origin

August von Wächter came from an old Württemberg civil servant family and belonged to the Protestant Church . He was born as the son of the diplomat August Heinrich Christoph Freiherr von Wächter (* 1776, † 1852). The mother's name was Marie Sophie nee Haagen (* 1782; † 1831). August von Wächter had four older siblings, including a brother. Wachter's father was the Württemberg legation councilor and since 1807 chargé d' affaires of the Kingdom of Württemberg in The Hague and Brussels and later in Frankfurt. With a royal decree of September 19, 1819 it was raised to the Württemberg nobility. On August 1, 1823, he acquired the Lautenbacher Hof in the Upper Office of Neckarsulm for a purchase price of 75,000 guilders . On June 18, 1825, the Wächter zu Lautenbach family was raised to the hereditary status of Württemberg barons .

Life and politics

Like his father, August von Wächter made a career in the diplomatic service of the Kingdom of Württemberg. As Royal Chamberlain and Privy Legation Councilor, he was on a diplomatic mission in St. Petersburg and during the German Revolution of 1848/49 at the Baden court in Karlsruhe . From there he reported "alarming things" to Stuttgart about the special course of the Baden Revolution . In the fifties and sixties of the 19th century, Wächter was the State Councilor, extraordinary ambassador for Württemberg and Minister Plenipotentiary in Paris . In the autumn of 1857 he came to Stuttgart in his capacity as ambassador for the two emperor's meeting . In the run-up to the Sardinian War , Wächter received a warning from Foreign Minister Huegel in Stuttgart to report more punctually and carefully about the policy of the French government. On January 9, 1871, Wächter succeeded Adolf Graf von Taube as Foreign Minister of Württemberg. As such, he was one of the signatories of the preliminary peace of Versailles on February 26, 1871 . In the Grand Duchy of Baden, the Foreign Ministry was abolished after the unification of the empire, and in Württemberg, similar to its larger neighbor Bavaria , its own foreign policy was retained for reasons of prestige. Wächter wanted to keep the tasks of the Foreign Ministry and the Wuerttemberg embassies in full and knew that he was in agreement with the king on this issue, but not with the majority of the deputies in the Second Chamber . Wächter as Foreign Minister reinforced King Karl in his critical stance towards Prussia . Since the founding of the empire in 1871, King Karl felt the government in Berlin was a constant threat to Württemberg statehood. In this attitude he was strengthened by the royal cabinet chief Freiherr von Egloffstein. On Wächter's recommendation, King Karl demonstratively stayed away from the three emperors meeting in Berlin in 1872 . Because of his hesitant administration, Wächter came into conflict with Hermann von Mittnacht , who pushed for the foreign minister to be replaced in his own favor. On August 27, 1873, Wächter resigned from his office, not least because of pressure from the Chamber of Deputies, who demanded with 62 votes to 11 that the Foreign Ministry should be merged with another department for reasons of cost.

family

August von Wächter's grave in Bad Friedrichshall- Kochendorf

Since the death of his older brother Christoph Ludwig Freiherr von Wächter in 1856, August von Wächter was entrant at the heir to Lautenbach . On December 19, 1855, he married the wealthy American Josephine Lee (* 1833 in New York, † 1930 in Stuttgart) in Paris. She was the older sister of Mary Esther Lee (* 1837, † 1914), widowed Princess von Noer , who married the later Field Marshal Alfred Graf von Waldersee in 1874 . In the year of his wedding in 1855, August von Wächter promoted the inclusion of the Lautenbacher Hof in the community association of Oedheim in order to gain citizenship there. The von Wächter couple were known and valued in the Neckarsulm District Office and especially in Oedheim as generous patrons of numerous social institutions and foundations . The widow Josephine Baroness von Wächter-Lautenbach was one of the richest women in the Kingdom of Württemberg. From the marriage of August and Josephine von Wächter-Lautenbach came the daughter Blanche (* 1856; † 1941) and the son Oleg-Ludwig von Wächter-Lautenbach (* 1861; † 1940), who died without descendants.

Honors

References and comments

  1. ↑ Online genealogical information about the father August Heinrich Christoph Freiherr von Wächter ( Memento from December 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Gravestone of Wächter's mother in Kochendorf
  3. ↑ a b Eberhard von Georgii-Georgenau: Biographisch-Genealogische Blätter aus und über Schwaben , Stuttgart 1878, pp. 1045-1046
  4. ↑ Full title: " Minister resident at the Dutch Court and at the City of Frankfurt , Commthur of the Order of the Royal Württemberg Crown and the Order of the Dutch Lion "
  5. ↑ Paul Sauer: Reformer on the royal throne. Wilhelm I of Württemberg . DVA, Stuttgart 1997, page 448
  6. ^ Wilhelm Freiherr von Koenig-Warthausen: Karl Eugen Freiherr von Hügel. In: Max Miller and Robert Uhland (eds.) Life pictures from Swabia and Franconia Volume 9, W. Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 1963, p. 315
  7. ↑ Eberhard Naujoks: Württemberg 1864 to 1918. In: Meinrad Schaab , Hansmartin Schwarzmaier (ed.) U. a .: Handbook of Baden-Württemberg History . Volume 3: From the end of the old empire to the end of the monarchies. Edited on behalf of the Commission for Historical Regional Studies in Baden-Württemberg . Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-608-91467-6 , p. 359.
  8. ↑ Eberhard Naujoks: Württemberg 1864 to 1918. In: Meinrad Schaab, Hansmartin Schwarzmaier (ed.) U. a .: Handbook of Baden-Württemberg History. Volume 3: From the end of the old empire to the end of the monarchies. Edited on behalf of the Commission for Historical Regional Studies in Baden-Württemberg. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-608-91467-6 , p. 361.
  9. ↑ In August 1872, Kaiser Wilhelm , Kaiser Franz Josef and Tsar Alexander II met in Berlin. The German federal princes were also invited. King Ludwig of Bavaria and King Karl of Württemberg declined to attend because they doubted the meeting would provide a serious opportunity to discuss German federal affairs. See Paul Sauer: Regent with a mild scepter. King Karl of Württemberg . DVA, Stuttgart 1999, page 221 f.
  10. ↑ Paul Sauer: Regent with a mild scepter. King Karl of Württemberg . DVA, Stuttgart 1999, page 196
  11. ↑ Eberhard Naujoks: Württemberg 1864 to 1918. In: Meinrad Schaab, Hansmartin Schwarzmaier (ed.) U. a .: Handbook of Baden-Württemberg History. Volume 3: From the end of the old empire to the end of the monarchies. Edited on behalf of the Commission for Historical Regional Studies in Baden-Württemberg. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-608-91467-6 , p. 360.
  12. ^ Genealogical handbook of the nobility, Freiherrliche Häuser , B 5 (1971)
  13. ↑ Countess Elisabeth von Waldersee: From truth to clarity! Countess Marie Esther von Waldersee widowed Princess von Noer born. Lee born died October 3, 1837, July 4, 1914. Stuttgart 1915
  14. ↑ The yearbook of the millionaires of Germany in 24 volumes from 1914 lists in volume 3 (Württemberg with Hohenzollern) the widowed Baroness Josephine von Wächter-Lautenbach with a fortune of 8 million Reichsmarks, an annual income of 320,000 Reichsmarks and an estate of 290 hectares at position 32 on the list of the richest people in the Kingdom of Württemberg.
  15. ^ Online available genealogical information about the daughter Blanche Freiin von Wächter-Lautenbach ( Memento of December 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  16. ^ Online available genealogical information about the son Oleg-Ludwig Freiherr von Wächter-Lautenbach ( Memento from December 8th 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  17. ^ Württembergisches Hof- und Staatshandbuch 1847 , p. 45
  18. ^ Württembergisches Hof- und Staatshandbuch 1862 , p. 35
  19. ^ Württembergisches Hof- und Staatshandbuch 1862 , p. 58
  20. ↑ a b c d e Württembergisches Hof- und Staatshandbuch 1862 , p. 112 and explanation of the abbreviations p. X – XIII

literature

  • Alfons Denkinger: Oedheim and his courtyards . In: Ralph Walter (Ed.): 750 years of Oedheim. 1235-1985 . Community of Oedheim, Oedheim 1985, p. 146-165 .
  • Julius Hartmann: Government and Estates in the Kingdom of Württemberg 1806–1894 In: Württembergische Jahrbücher 1894 , Issue 1, p. 64
  • Royal Württemberg Court and State Handbook 1862
predecessor Office successor
Christian Wilhelm August von Fleischmann (until 1849) Wuerttemberg envoy to France
1850–1871 		-
Adolf von Taube Württemberg Foreign Minister
1871–1873 		Hermann of midnight
personal data
SURNAME Guardian, August von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Guardian, Johann August Freiherr von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Württemberg diplomat and minister
DATE OF BIRTH April 3, 1807
PLACE OF BIRTH The hague
DATE OF DEATH August 3, 1879
Place of death Lautenbach