Ulrik Anton Motzfeldt

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Ulrik Anton Motzfeldt (born January 27, 1807 in Saint Thomas , † June 10, 1865 in Christiania ) was a Norwegian lawyer and politician.

Life

His parents were the State Councilor Peter Motzfeldt (1777-1854) and his wife Ernesta Birgitte Margrethe Stenersen (1789-1848).

He was a highly respected lawyer and belonged to a politically influential family whose politics are usually characterized as "tough and stubborn" (stri og sta politisk familie).

He attended the cathedral school in Christiania, which left in 1823. During his student days he belonged to the circle around Welhaven and Schweigaard , who called himself “Intelligensen” and had separated from the general student association. He was co-editor of their newspaper Vidar and later the newspaper Den Constitutionelle .

In 1826 he passed the state examination in law. He turned down a position as a university teacher on a temporary basis and became a court trainee until he became a lecturer at the university in 1829 after a trial lecture. When he filled a full professorship at the university, he was passed over because King Karl Johann said he was still too young, which contributed to his father stepping down from the office of State Councilor. In addition, Motzfeld had published articles in the newspaper that were not in the King's favor.

His first marriage was on July 3, 1830, with Fredrikke Julie Nielsen (April 28, 1809 - February 4, 1837), daughter of the agent Jacob Nielsen (1768–1822) and Johanne Sophie Christiane Berg (1777–1866).

In 1834 he completed his habilitation and in 1839 became a professor. In the same year he became an associate assessor at the Supreme Court and in 1842 an ordinary assessor. He and Frederik Stang laid the foundations for independent Norwegian law.

His second marriage was on May 6, 1841, Anna Pauline Georgine Birch (June 28, 1822 - November 2, 1891), daughter of Major General Paul Hansen Birch (probably Birch-Reichenwald) (1788–1863) and Anna Cathrine Hoffmann Stenersen ( 1791-1840).

In 1842 and from 1853 to 1860 he was mayor of Christiania. After a break from 1847 to 1852 as a district judge (sorenskriver) in Rakkestad , he was again assessor at the Supreme Court until his death.

He was a member of a number of royal commissions and was charged with preparing important legislative proposals: Religious freedom (Dissenterloven; 1843), Banking Act (1844 and 1846), Housekeeping Act (Husmandsloven; 1850), Commission to examine the compatibility of the Jury Act with the Constitution (1859) , the great church commission (1859). Although he was against the Anglo-Saxon model of the jury in criminal proceedings, which was particularly requested by Ole Gabriel Ueland , he was elected chairman of the parliamentary committee for a corresponding law in 1854. The establishment of the committee did not have government approval. In the Lagting he spoke against the proposal. In 1860 he presided over the Royal Jury Law Commission. The jury was then introduced in 1887. In 1848 he was the Stortings representative for Christiania and Lillehammer , in 1851 he was the representative for Christiania and Smaalenene (today's Østfold). He was chosen for this from 1862 to 1863, but that was too much of a challenge for his health and he refused. He was President of the Storting in 1857 and 1858 and President of the Lagting from 1859 to 1860.

He was a staunch conservative politician with a distant relationship with Sweden and the Union. He adhered to the Scandinavian model of “intelligences”: together on the outside, but free national development within. In 1851, for example, in Storting, he submitted a motion to repeal the Swedish governorship in the Norwegian constitution. The motion found the necessary majority in Storting in 1854, but did not receive the necessary approval from the government. This ultimately led to his brother Ketil Motzfeld and his cousin and brother-in-law Christian Birch-Reichenwald declaring their resignation and Frederik Stang taking over the business of government. Although he was against the Anglo-Saxon model of the jury in the criminal process, he was elected chairman of the parliamentary committee for a corresponding law. The establishment of the committee did not have government approval. In the Lagting he spoke against the proposal.

Ulrik Motzfeldt was from 1843 Member of " Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters " and "Videnskabs-Selskabet" (Science Society) in Christiania since its founding in 1857. He was knighted in 1849 the St. Olav Order, appointed and in 1857 to its commander.

Works

  • Den norske Kirkeret (1844). (Norwegian Canon Law)
  • Lovgivningen om Odelsretten og Aasædesretten (1846). (The legislation in Odels - and court law)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Thyness
  2. ↑ a b c O. A. Øverland, SH Finne-Grøn: Motzfeldt, Ulrik . In: Christian Blangstrup (Ed.): Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon . 2nd Edition. tape 17 : Mielck – Nordland . JH Schultz Forlag, Copenhagen 1924, p. 366 (Danish, runeberg.org ).
  3. ↑ Parliament committee of 1 / 4 consists of Stortings of MPs. He has to check the linguistic correctness and the textual consistency with the other laws. This organization exists to this day, but has been abolished due to a law on February 20, 2007 for the legislative periods from October 1, 2009.
personal data
SURNAME Motzfeldt, Ulrik Anton
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Norwegian lawyer and politician, member of the Storting
DATE OF BIRTH January 27, 1807
PLACE OF BIRTH Saint Thomas
DATE OF DEATH June 10, 1865
Place of death Christiania