Christian Birch-Reichenwald
Christian Birch - rich forest ( born January 4, 1814 Blaker (1962 Town of Sørum ), Akershus since January 1, † July 8, 1891 in Christiania ) was a Norwegian politician.
Life
His parents were the first lieutenant and later Major General Paul Hansen Birch (1788-1863) and his wife Anna Cathrine Hoffmann Stenersen ( 1791-1840 ). Major General Paul Hansen Birch was the son of the real estate businessman Johan Gottfried rich forest and his wife Anne Elizabeth Birch. She pulled out early with her children to her brother and took the name Birch. Christian took after his father's request later whose family name Reichenwald and called Birch - rich forest.
Christian Birch - rich forest left in 1830, the Cathedral School in Trondheim. He passed the exam of Arts with the top score of " lauda bilis prae ceteris " ( worthy of praise in front of others ). He studied briefly in Uppsala, but then law at Christiania. Here he joined the student group " Intelligensen ", the circle around Anton Martin Schweigaard, Frederik Stang and Johan Sebastian Welhaven. During his studies Birch - rich forest hung on the Scandinavianism, but with the proviso of a free, independent development of each country. He rejected both the idea of a fusion of Norway and Sweden as well as the romantic devotion to Denmark. His political guideline was and remained a clear delineation of Norway from Sweden and complete equality within the Union.
Domestically, he stood between the peasant opposition and the government. He stood for a trusting relationship between the government and the Storting and was equally dissatisfied with those shown by the official government efforts for such cooperation, such as the refusal of the peasant opposition to all public measures that could lead to the increase in expenditure.
On June 28, 1838, he married Ida Sophie Motzfeldt Jacobine (* June 12, 1812, † April 10, 1880 ), daughter of State Peter Motzfeldt and his wife Ernesta Birgitte Margrethe Stenersen ( 1789-1848 ).
His grave is located on the Redeemer Cemetery in Oslo.
Career up to the governor dispute
After his state examination in 1834, he was a copyist in the Department of Justice in 1837 he became bureau chief.
Thanks to its great administrative talent, he quickly made career. In 1839 he came to the church department, where he at the age of 27 years expedition secretary from 1840 to 1847 he was co-editor of the newspaper department in 1841. In 1843 he became a member of the Municipal Council of Christiania and was deputy mayor in 1845 and 1846 mayor. In 1847 he was bailiff in Smålenene. He was sent as a delegate in 1848 and 1854 for Moss and Drøbak the Storting.
In 1855 he was bailiff of Akershus. In 1857 he was pin steward in the diocese Christiania. In both of these functions, there was a friendly cooperation with Prince Charles, who became in 1856 the Viceroy of Norway. When Charles, the government took over in shops from his sick father, appointed this Birch - rich forest by cabinet reshuffle to head the Justice Department as the successor of Hans Christian Petersen. He was the youngest member of the Cabinet, but nevertheless exercised a wide influence. The good relations with King Charles later cooled off considerably.
This reshuffle has led to large protests in Norway. It was conceived primarily as a beginning of an arbitrary government of the king. That Birch - rich forest was far from being a puppet of the king, only gradually became clear. But personnel issues were the focus of rebellion: The state councils Jørgen Herman Vogt and Frederik Due were forced to resign. Even more importantly, the earned Frederik Stang no longer belonged to the government after recovering from his illness.
The governor dispute
The new government trusted that Birch - rich forest had received a commitment from the regent to confirm a decision of the Storting to lift the Swedish governorship in Norway, what was considered an essential step for the equality of the two kingdoms. Also by leading members of the Swedish government, he had been given assurances by the hand, that they would consider such a decision as an internal Norwegian affair. Such an attitude would, in the opinion Swedish Birch - rich forest create a much better atmosphere in the policies and pave the way for a limited revision of the Union. When the Storting in 1859 passed a resolution repealing the governors office to protest the Swedish Parliament and in the Knights' house stood, and a strong opposition saw it as the first step towards the dissolution of the Union. The government and the king had to bend and could not meet the commitment. Therefore, the king refused to grant approval required. This led to a failed in the Storting censure the government, accusing it of lack of resistance to the king's decision.
The Swedish government then proposed in 1861 a joint Union committee before. In Birch Forest - rich proposal this request was rejected unanimously by the Norwegian Government on 21 October 1861. The independent status of Norway within the Union was emphasized. In addition, leading Swedish ministers had let them know that the current state of the Union would not be standing up for grabs. Added was still a representation of the Norwegian view of the governor question. She went back mainly to Birch - rich forest. The explanation was formulated so sharp that State Minister George Sibbern refused to present this content the king, as long as this section is included on the governor question. The government weakened the formulation, but declined to complete withdrawal. So the matter was brought before the king. The reacted with sharp criticism of the First Council of State Hans Christian Petersen, who then submitted his resignation. Minister of State Sibbern followed him there.
The period after the change of government
Thus, a new government had to be used. Since all members of the government except Birch - rich forest, Motzfeldt and Petersen spoke out for the deletion of the passage, Frederik Stang was appointed First State. Birch - rich forest was the new office until he district judge in Aker in 1869. In 1862 he was delegate to the Storting for Christiania, Hønefoss and Kongsvinger. 1862-1866 he was again mayor of Christiania. During this time he also sat in Lagting and was at the end of even the President. But despite his great abilities, he played no role in the broader political struggle. This led him to depression and bitterness over the defeat of his government, which he never got. His relationship with Frederik Stang was ambivalent, but the bitter enmity between his followers and the followers Stangs was more the work of Ketil Motzfeldt.
The contemporaries and posterity have a central role in this ground-breaking time with a very varied. But his humble honesty, no one has denied.
Honors
Birch Reichenwald received in 1860 the Grand Cross of St. Olav Order and in 1864 the Grand Cross of the Swedish Nordstjärneordens.