Ernst Emil Hoffmann

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Ernst Emil Hoffmann. Image on the Hambach cloth

Ernst Emil Hoffmann (born January 17, 1785 in Darmstadt ; † May 22, 1847 there ) was a German entrepreneur and politician.

Life

Ernst Emil Hoffmann, son of the Darmstadt War Councilor Hans Wilhelm Hoffmann (1754–1813) and Elisabeth Friederike Dorothea, born. Stürtz (1753–1805), graduated from high school in his hometown from 1795 to 1800, then learned the trade and set up a specialty shop in Darmstadt in 1806 , which he soon gave up. He now traded extensively in a wide variety of goods, supplied rifles for the military and happily speculated on government securities. In this way he quickly came to a great fortune that enabled him to embark on a political career, during which he distinguished himself through his commitment to the freedom of the people and the promotion of public welfare. In 1809 he married Karoline, born eight years his junior. Leusler, with whom he had twelve children. His daughter Emma Johanette married the teacher and member of the state parliament Gottlieb Wilhelm Soldan .

In the course of the German struggle for freedom against Napoleon , Hoffmann took part in the general arming of Hesse in 1813 and the establishment of a voluntary hunter corps, of whose members he equipped six men at his own expense and guaranteed them lifelong pensions in the event of accidents. He also became the commander of the first Darmstadt Landwehr battalion. In 1817 he made a major contribution to alleviating the famine in Hesse by giving away significant cash, organizing collections and giving food to those in need free of charge or at reduced prices.

Politically liberal-minded, Hoffmann supported the adoption of a Hessian constitution in 1820 . When the Greek War of Independence broke out against Ottoman rule, he was very active in favor of the Greeks. In 1822, for example, he went to Marseille as an authorized representative of all German Philhellenic associations to initiate the embarkation of the volunteers traveling to Greece. For his work, he received the hereditary Greek honorary citizenship. In 1823 he founded a military representation company for the Grand Duchy of Hesse , which existed until 1835.

In 1826 Hoffmann was elected a member of the second chamber of the state estates of the Grand Duchy of Hesse in the Hesse-Darmstadt state parliament . But because he published a large number of lithographed letters in which he advised the voters to elect only independent and liberal-minded men as deputies, he was prosecuted at the instigation of Minister Grolmann for interfering in the elections and insulting majesty and was prevented from doing so to enter the chamber. Only after three years was he completely acquitted on August 29, 1829 and was now able to become a member of the assembly of estates. There he was extremely active and made several liberal motions, such as freedom of the press in domestic affairs and the abolition of celibacy for Catholic clergy. He soon acquired the necessary knowledge in administration and law, and also knew how to captivate the audience during his speeches.

Hoffmann was re-elected to the Landtag of 1832, gradually from six districts, although he was at odds with the exalted Liberal Party. Shortly after its opening, he submitted an application for the federal decrees of June 28, 1832, made repeated applications for freedom of the press and for amending several inexpedient constitutional paragraphs and spoke out against the building of the palace. As a helper for the poor and afflicted, he was very popular with the people of Darmstadt, but the government officials became increasingly uncomfortable due to his liberal outlook and restless activity.

In 1834 Hoffmann was re-elected to the Chamber, but charged with election bribery; however, the Chamber declared it definitely admissible with 35 votes to two. This time, too, he developed a great deal of activity, repeatedly opposed the interests of the court on financial issues, particularly fought against the theories of government commissioner August Konrad Freiherrn von Hofmann regarding the tax approval right of the estates and urged that the spending budget be cut significantly. He was not re-elected to the next state parliament. In the investigation conducted against him, he was accused of having given a servant named Wesp a number of completed proxy voting slips for distribution, that Wesp had paid four voters from his circle of acquaintances 17 kreuzers to get them to accept such voting slips, and that Wesp received two talers from Hoffmann for this. After a year and a half of investigation into this unproven bribery affair, Hoffmann was only delivered from instantia in 1836 . Despite the efforts of his lawyer to obtain a definitive acquittal, the Darmstadt court judged the process to be finally over, so that Hoffmann could no longer become a member of parliament. The government had thus achieved the end of his parliamentary career with the help of the judiciary.

As a result of the law passed in the Landtag of 1835, which granted the state alone the business of military representation, Hoffmann suffered great material damage, which is why he turned to the second chamber in November 1838 and was then at least partially compensated. In 1836 he gave the first suggestion to build the Main-Neckar Railway a few years later at state expense . For his hometown he was very active as a long-time member of the municipal council (1828–42). He was also active in the matter of the Göttingen Seven . For those affected by the severe fire in Hamburg in 1842, he raised funds through collecting campaigns. He died on May 22, 1847 at the age of 62 in Darmstadt. In 1852 his marble bust was set up in the Darmstadt cemetery.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ see NDB German biography author Kraft, Rudolf, "Hoffmann, Ernst Emil" in: Neue Deutsche Biographie 9 (1972), p. 396 f. [Online version]; URL: http://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd10049773X.html

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Hoffmann, Ernst Emil
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German entrepreneur and politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 17, 1785
PLACE OF BIRTH Darmstadt
DATE OF DEATH May 22, 1847
Place of death Darmstadt