Wilhelm Seissenschmidt

Wilhelm Seissenschmidt (born May 24, 1802 in Belecke ; † June 5, 1871 in Arnsberg ) was mayor of Arnsberg, member of the Prussian House of Representatives and author of historical articles.

Grave of Wilhelm Seissenschmidt in the Eichholzfriedhof

Life

He was the son of the physician Theodor Anton Seissenschmidt. He attended elementary school in Belecke and the Latin school in Rüthen before he switched to the Laurentianum grammar school in Arnsberg. Then he studied in Bonn . He completed his time in the military as a one-year volunteer in Münster in 1822 . He completed his legal studies in Heidelberg in 1823 . From 1824 he was ausculator at the Arnsberg court and from 1826 trainee lawyer there.

In 1829 he married Antonette Franziska Brisken from the pharmacist family of the same name. The marriage remained childless. His wife was chairman of an interdenominational women's association and was instrumental in founding a hospital (later Marienhospital ) in Arnsberg.

From 1830 to 1833 he was an assistant judge in Menden . From 1835 he was assessor at the court in Arnsberg.

In 1836 he ran for the office of mayor and was also elected for twelve years against the previous incumbent Devivere. The beginning of his term of office coincides with the introduction of the revised town order. Cooperation with the district office and the government proved to be very difficult. Again and again there were objections, interferences in the municipal administration and even threats of punishment from the higher authorities. In addition to small things like the question of the installation of street lamps and their maintenance, there were political issues. During the pre-March period , the higher authorities demanded that events be banned out of fear of political opposition. Church decrees from the pulpit were examined before the reading and the Cologne event of 1837 was followed closely by the strictly Catholic Seissenschmidt. What ultimately led to his resignation in 1842 is not known. Instead he became a city councilor and between 1847 and 1866 was city council chief.

He was temporarily also a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and belonged to the Catholic parliamentary group . Before Seissenschmidt left for Berlin in 1856, Franz Ignatz Pieler read a poem to the historical association in Arnsberg. It said:

"(...) If they clearly prove to you
not to be praised higher than
a land of helots,
where many a junker commandments
are paid nicely for the gentlemen -
when there is
confusion in the hall and no contradiction
such a deluge may break :
Then you let them scream. Just
stay with the no (...)
Because no matter how they do it, right must remain right. "

His main occupation was a lawyer and notary. He ran a prosperous law firm right across from the district court. In 1849 he was awarded the title of Justice Council and the Order of the Red Eagle, IV class . Seissenschmidt was a member and temporarily chairman of the Honorary Council of Lawyers.

He was a member of the Arnsberg Casino Society and was involved in the founding of the Historical Association of Arnsberg in 1838. Among other things, he has published a number of historical essays in the sheets for the closer customer of Westphalia. In particular , he researched the brands in Westphalia. Karl Feaux de Lacroix has adopted parts of Seissenschmidt's contributions largely unchanged in his history of Arnsberg.

When a Catholic journeymen's association was formed in Arnsberg, Seissenschmidt offered him the house he owned on Hanstein in 1864, which is still owned by the Kolping Society today.

Seissenschmidt is buried in the Eichholzfriedhof .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Franz Ignatz Pieler: Farewell and congratulatory poem to Mr. Seissenschmidt. Printed in: Alfred Bruns (arr.): The historical association in Arnsberg. A documentation. Brilon, 1992 pp. 80f.
2. ↑ meaning the conservatives around Gerlach

literature

• Klemens Pröpper: Mayor Seissenschmidt. Honorable names in times past. In: Heimatblätter des Arnsberger Heimatbund, 6th year 1985 pp. 24–33
• Karl Feaux de Lacroix: History of Arnsberg. Stein, Arnsberg 1895. Reprint: Stein, Werl 1983, p. 581
• Johann Suibert Seibertz : Wilhelm Seissenschmidt, Counselor and Notary, Knight of the Red Eagle Order IV. Class In: Leaves for the closer customer of Westphalia 7/1871 Digitized [printed in: Alfred Bruns ( edit .): The historical association in Arnsberg. A documentation. Brilon, 1992 pp. 430f.]