Lorenz Levin Salomon Prince

Lorenz Levin Salomon Fürst (* 1763 in the Altona district ; † 1849 probably in St. Georg ) was a merchant, owner of a trading house in Hamburg and plaintiff for human rights before the Reich Chamber of Commerce .

Career and life

Port of Hamburg 1813

Levin Salomon Fürst (later: Lorenz Fürst ) came from an Ashkenazi family from the Altona Jewish community and was very likely a descendant of the Chajim Fürst . However, his father was impoverished and died early. Levin Salomon Fürst acquired his commercial knowledge and good foreign language skills through experience in daily practice. He initially worked as an interpreter and translator in shipping and trading businesses at the port and lived in Stubbenhuk . He soon advanced to become a businessman himself, married his first wife Rose in 1791 and in the same year ran his own business in a residential and commercial building at Schaarmarkt 75 in Hamburg, initially rented for two years by Jochim Kellinghusen, the son of a wealthy senior citizen from Eppendorf Neustadt (Portuguese Quarter, St. Pauli , near Altona). So he founded the very successful trading company, which was initially called Fürst et Comp. traded. After the former employee Martin Joseph Haller joined the company as a partner around 1806, it temporarily became the trading company Fürst Haller & Co. , but later traded again as L. Fürst & Co. and existed in this form after Fürst's death, possibly continued by descendants , from 1864 to 1882.

Role in the emancipation phase of Jewish citizens in Germany

In the age of the French Revolution there were many emancipatory approaches to fight for full equality against the background of the Christian arrogance customary at the time and assimilation ( civil improvement of the Jews ), which was often forced through discrimination . Fürst took on an exemplary role here, as he led numerous lawsuits, some of them consistently right up to the last judicial instance.

Title page of Grund's Sonate pour le piano forté et violoncello ou violon, oeuv. 11 , dedicated to Lisette Fürst

The most famous legal dispute of the Levin Salomon Fürst, which was related to the restriction of the right of residence of Jews on certain Hamburg streets, lasted from 1791 to 1801 and came before the Imperial Court of Justice after Fürst had gone to this last instance (appellation). Prince complained, relying on the human and civil rights as Oberappellant against the Hamburg Senate and the orphanage writer Gottfried Joachim Pacher, together with various anti-Semitic active neighbors who originally police eviction of his apartment and business premises in the house on Schaarmarkt 75 through appropriate command of the praetor wanted to achieve. Fürst's landlord was not willing to give notice immediately, as he feared economic damage. Fürst's opponents had a comprehensive report prepared on the right of residence of Jews, whereupon Fürst called the appellate court and exposed Pacher's alleged comrades-in-arms as consorts who had only signed the eviction request to the Senate at Pacher's pressure. Eventually the case reached the Reich Chamber of Commerce in Wetzlar, and while they were waiting for the report from the Hamburg Senate, Fürst continued to face reprisals. The Senate set a deadline for the evacuation of May 17, 1792, but this was extended by a week through the intervention of the Hamburg Mayor Sienen , who was acquainted with the Fürsts family and was one of its most important advocates. Fürst described his distress in a letter to his procurator Caspar Friedrich von Hofmann : “The dreadfulness of my situation can only be felt, not described, my wife, overwhelmed by the burden of grief, lies dangerously ill, my own senses are so shattered that I am almost incapable of doing my business ... “
On Hofmann's initiative, the Reich Chamber of Commerce forbade further harassment of Fürst during the trial with a timely temporal inhibition . For the duration of the entire legal dispute, Fürst was able to maintain his company headquarters on Schaarmarkt at least until 1803. In addition to the mayor Sienen mentioned, Fürst had other important advocates. He received support from the family of the businessman John Parish and from the medical doctor Christoph Nicolaus Leppentin , who had initially been one of Pacher's fellow plaintiffs , but who soon accused him of incitement and appealed to common reason in a letter in favor of the Prince: “I wish from the heart that these considerations (liberty and equality ...) may instill some ideas of moderation in those enlightened legal scholars who are to decide in the dispute. "

The stock exchange hall around 1825

Like his business partners, such as Martin Joseph Haller , Levin Salomon Fürst was also a lover of culture and a supporter of musicians such as Friedrich Wilhelm Grund and Georg Gerson , who were often guests of the Fürst family. Both composers named, for example, dedicated some of their pieces to Levin Salomon's daughter, Liesette Fürst (* August 21, 1798, † around September 1858), who was the soprano at some concerts, as well as to his first wife, Rose Fürst (* 1772, † April 1809). Fürst's second wife Johanne Gugenheim (* 1786; † around 1854; after baptism under the name Johanna Auguste Fürst), a half-sister of his first wife Rose, appeared as a singer.

Conversion and Later Life

Fürst was ultimately defeated in his long-standing legal dispute and converted to Christianity in Wandsbeck in April 1802 with the new baptismal name Lorenz Fürst, after which he was able to take the citizenship oath on May 17, 1802 . Fürst was also present as godfather at the conversion of his friend and business partner Martin Joseph Haller in 1805 in the Dreieinigkeitskirche in Allermöhe . After the death of his first wife in 1809, Fürst married her half-sister Johanna Auguste Gugenheim (possibly a relative (cousin) of Fromet Gugenheim and Rachel Fürst, née Gugenheim). At first, the Fürst family still seemed to hold burials according to the Jewish rite, despite the conversion. On January 21, 1814, a daughter (Jungfer Röschen, daughter of a Levin Fürst) was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Altona . Later descendants, however, such as the son George Washington Fürst (1817–1911), were baptized Protestants in Ottensen-Altona and married into Protestant families, such as Willrich , von Reinken and Ramdohr . As a member of the citizenry, Lorenz Fürst was also part of the Hamburg citizenry until around 1831 .

Hamburg citizen military 1830

The unfavorable outcome of the appeal proceedings in 1802 did not prevent Fürst, as he had before, from continuing to argue vigorously in court for his rights. In the Hamburg State Archives there is a whole series of processes in which he was involved, including:

• 1825–1826: Philip Benjamin Schwabe & Companie (plaintiff) against Oberappellant Lorenz Fürst (defendant, clerk HA Heise), subject of the first and second instance proceedings : claim from citizenship amounting to 500 Bancomark; Annulment of the higher court decision; Referral back to the commercial court (signature 211-3_H I 265)
• 1831: Lorenz Fürst as senior appellant and defendant against Johann Hinrich Mählmann (plaintiff), subject of the first and second instance proceedings : publication of a citizen's military uniform , trading books and handling papers (signature 211-3_H I 539)
• 1847–48: Case by the businessman Lorenz Fürst against the agent Bloch (signature 132-5 / 1_E 14)
• 1849: Lorenz Fürst complains unsuccessfully to the Hamburger Nachrichten editorial staff for refusing to print an article (call number 131-1 I_33 F 248)

Lorenz Levin Salomon Fürst stayed in Hamburg all his life, lived outside the city in 1845 . Berliner Thors on the Burgfelde No. 154, at the tree nursery , 1848 in St.Georg , at Berlin Thor No. 10 and died in 1849. His widow continued to live in Hamburg, in 1853 in St. Georg , Steindamm , and in 1854 at Berlin Thor No. 15 .

Literature and web links

• Mondrup, Christian (2017): Georg Gerson 1790–1825, directory of two hundred of my compositions . Online (last visited on April 30, 2020).
• Jürgen Ellermeyer (1993): Hanseatic Liberality and Right of Residence of Hamburg Jews around 1800. Appellant Levin Salomon Fürst before the Reich Chamber of Commerce . In: Law and Everyday Life in the Hanseatic Region . Gerhard Theuerkauf for his 60th birthday (Festschrift for Gerhard Theuerkauf ), Ed. Silke Urbanski et al. (Deutsches Salzmuseum, Lüneburg 1993), pp. 71-124. ISBN 3-925476-03-2
• Jutta Braden (2016): Bourgeoisie and conversions in Jewish families in Hamburg at the beginning of the 19th century in ASCHKENAS: Journal for the history and culture of the Jews; Volume 26, Issue 1, pp. 175–218, eISSN 1865-9438, ISSN 1016-4987, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/asch-2016-0010
• Staatsarchiv Hamburg, 211-2_J 44 Part 1 and Part 2. Lawsuit by Levin Salomon Fürst at the Reichskammergericht ( online entry ), with numerous evidence, including a Hauer contract from 1798 on the letting of a house on Schaarmarkt by Pieter Elderts to Selig Salomon Fürst .
• Jürgen Ellermeyer (1989): Barriers of the Free Imperial City , in: Peter Freimark, Arno Herzig (eds.), The Hamburg Jews in the Emancipation Phase (Hamburg Contributions to the History of German Jews, Volume 15); Hamburg 1989
• Annett Büttner (2003): Hopes of a minority: supplicas of Jewish residents to the Hamburg Senate in the 19th century (LIT Verlag Münster) ISBN 3-825871-47-9 , p. 88 u. a. ( limited preview at books.google.de )
• Annette Baumann (2013): Free Right of Residence for Jews? A Hamburg case before the Reich Chamber of Commerce in the era of the French Revolution in: Stefan Ehrenpreis (ed.), Kaiser and Reich in Jewish Local History; Oldenbourg Verlag, Munich. P. 287–290 ( digitized version with limited preview at books.google.de, accessed April 16, 2020 )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ cf. Anette Baumann (2013), p. 287
2. ↑ possibly father of Heinrich Kellinghusen
3. ↑ Some employees of this company later became successful bankers themselves:
   • Heinrich Hartwig (born October 15, 1770 Dresden, as Herz Seckelson; † June 3, 1860 Berlin) was an accountant at banker Seligmann, later a dispatcher at Fürst, Haller & Co. , then wealthy and from May 1816 in Berlin. ( cf. Jacob Jacobson (2018): The Jewish Citizens' Books of the City of Berlin 1809-1851 ; p. 139. Verlag de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG Berlin; ISBN 978-3-110836-21-9 )
   • Martin Joseph Haller (around 1799 employee, later partner, later banker)
   • John Ries (Martin Joseph Haller's brother)
   • Georg Gerson (employee, family friend, composer, later banker in Copenhagen)
   • Joseph Hambro (began his professional training with Fürst at the age of 17, later a banker in London)
4. ↑ see Mondrup 2016
5. ↑ cf. Hamburg Commercial Register, 231-3_B 8802, ( online in the Hamburg State Archives )
6. ↑ cf. Hamburg State Archives online entry
7. ↑ Anette Baumann (2013) pp. 292–293
8. ↑ Sienen had previously bought a house from the Prince's father; see. Anette Baumann (2013), p. 292
9. ↑ Caspar Friedrich von Hofmann (* 1740 in Wetzlar; † 1814 ibid), lawyer and 1769–1806 procurator at the Imperial Court of Justice. Son of Georg Melchior Hofmann (1688–1781), imperial court attorney and procurator in Wetzlar, who was raised to imperial nobility in 1778.
10. ^ Address book HH 1802 Online
11. ^ Hamburgisches Adressbuch 1803 ( books.google.de ), p. 70 and p. 88.
12. ↑ cf. Anette Baumann (2013), p. 292
13. ^ On August 21, 1811: Gerson's waltz for fortepiano on Lisette Fürst's birthday on August 26; and on April 4, 1812, inscribed in the family book of Lisette Fürst two-part Canon (text by Goethe ); The composer Friedrich Wilhelm Grund dedicated his sonata pour le piano forté et violoncello ou violon , oeuv to her. 11, printed around 1820; see. Mondrup (2017).
14. ↑ probably named after the character Lisette in Die Juden , comedy, written by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing in Berlin in 1749. It deals with religious tolerance and humanity
15. ↑ estate bargaining Hamburg Consulate in Naples, by Lisette Prince, September 4, 1858 (see. Online Hamburg State Archives signature 111-1_43526 )
16. ↑ about August 21, 1814 for song in three tones with piano accompaniment ; 1840 soprano at the North German Music Festival in Lübeck; see. Mondrup (2017).
17. ↑ Mondrup 2017, (DJGB, I50486)
18. ↑ Mondrup 2017, (DJGB, I55527 F); and Lower Saxony State Archives Hanover, NLA HA Dep. 71 E No. VII k, details of the archive material in PDF search term Gugenheim
19. ↑ Opus No. 1923 by Georg Gerson. He recorded: ... my first Italian duet, which made me too lucky. With Romberg's permission and without my knowledge, Mlle. Johanne Gugenheim and Dr. Kuhnhart did it in the concert of the Börsenhalle ... ; see. Mondrup (2017)
20. ↑ Mother of the writer Nikolai Nathan Fürst
21. ↑ Her grave is not preserved, but in the burial register Hamburger Teil (JG 74), p. 09, no. 02; you will find the entry: הבתולה ריזכה בת כ׳ ליב פירשט ז״ל נפטרה עש״ק ער״ח שבט ונקברה ביו׳ א׳ ומונחת משמאל חוה אשת ליב גלעסקר וביביהם קרקע בתולה רקע. Translation: The maiden Rösche, daughter of the honored Löb prince, his memory as a blessing, different from the preparation day of holy Shabbat, the eve of the new moon Schwat, and buried on day 1, buried to the left of Chava, wife of Löb glasses and between them a reserved grave site . Your soul is tied into the bundle of life. ( Online at Steinheim Institute, accessed May 20, 2020 )
22. ↑ George Washington Fürst (* May 6, 1817; † May 30, 1911 in Bremen ), baptized on September 28, 1817 in the Christian Church (Ottensen) , register no. 1817/577/76, married (probably in his second marriage) Auguste Elise Amalie Caroline born in the Protestant parish of St. Andreas in Hildesheim on November 6, 1875 Willrich (born July 27, 1850 - † April 25, 1918). George Washington Fürst obtained his release from the Hamburg Citizens' Association in 1850 (Hamburg State Archives, signature: 111-1_58700) and around 1860 was a partner in the Mielck & Fürst wine shop in Bremen, Hutfilterstrasse 32 ( Bremisches Adressbuch 1860, p.43 ). His son Carl G. Fürst married Daniela Conradt, born in April 1919. von Reinken (* 1881 in Bremen; † 1954 in Sao Paulo) and was the father of Carl Gebhard Fürst (* 1920 in Bremen; † 2010 in Sao Paulo ), Lilo Ramdohr's second husband . Johanne Gugenheim was born in Lilo Fürst-Ramdohr's NS ancestral passport with the name Johanna Auguste geb. Fürst (Christianskirche (Altona), register no. 1817/577/76), probably in order to avoid the fatal name Gugenheim at the time.
23. ↑ ( Online in the Hamburg State Archives, call number 211-3_H I 539 )
24. ↑ ( Online in the Hamburg State Archives, call number 131-1 I_33 F 248 )
25. ↑ Hamburg address book for 1845, page 74 ( online at agora.sub.uni-hamburg.de, accessed on May 26, 2020 )
26. ↑ Hamburg address book for 1848, page 80 ( online at agora.sub.uni-hamburg.de, accessed on May 26, 2020 )
27. ↑ Hamburg address book for 1854, page 97 ( online at agora.sub.uni-hamburg.de, accessed on May 26, 2020 )