Julius von Kirchmann

Julius Hermann von Kirchmann ( born November 5, 1802 in Schafstädt, † October 20, 1884 in Berlin) was a German lawyer and politician.

Life

Kirchmann was the son of the Saxon majors Eberhard August von Kirchmann and his wife Wilhelmine Berger. After Kirchmann had graduated from high school, he entered the University of Leipzig to study law. He later moved with the same subject at the University of Halle.

There he completed his studies successfully and got 1829 in Halle an appointment as judicial assessor. Four years later he was promoted there to the criminal judge. 1834 married Kirchmann in Hall Henriette Butte. With her he had two daughters; including Louise, the future wife of composer Ludwig Hartmann.

1835 Kirchmann was promoted to Landgerichtsdirektor in cross- ford and four years later added in the same capacity to Torgau. In 1846 he was promoted to First Attorney in Berlin. He held this office two years. In 1847 he held in his legal Society of Berlin in front of colleagues and scientists his famous speech The worthlessness of jurisprudence as a science. In his career so far, this had consequences, as Kirchmann was " carried away " already in the following year as Vice-President of the Higher Regional Court in Ratibor.

Politically Kirchmann was also active. In the Prussian National Assembly, he was initially near the left and later moved to the " left center " under the leadership of Mr Johann Karl Rodbertus. After the end of Reaktionsära Kirchmann belonged to the Progress Party. This party represented Kirchmann 1862 to 1870 and from 1873 to 1876 in the Prussian House of Representatives. In parallel, he was from 1867 to 1877 member of the Reichstag.

After considerable preliminary work Kirchmann 1869/70 instrumental in the creation of a common Criminal Code for the North German Confederation. As the dispute escalated in the Reichstag during the Kulturkampf, lost Kirchmann 1877 his mandate. He had, inter alia, requires that individuals whose income was below a certain limit, all taxes should be adopted.

Since 1846 Kirchmann is President of the Philosophical Society in Berlin. As such, he was friends with many of his contemporaries. Among other things, led Kirchmann detailed correspondence with the philosopher Adolf Lasson and Eduard von Hartmann, the politician Franz Wilhelm Ziegler and the composer Richard Wagner.

Today Kirchmann's name is above all still connected to the Philosophical Library, a book series for classical philosophical literature, which he founded in 1868. It appears since 1911, Felix Meiner Verlag.

Kirchmann died at the age of 82 years on 20 October 1884 in Berlin.