Josef von Schmitt


Josef Schmitt, since 1896 Ritter Josef von Schmitt was the President of the Court for the Kingdom of Bavaria, as well as the primary advisor to Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, in later life becoming a Privy councilor and an Honorary Citizen of the city of Bamberg. Von Schmitt was also an avid businessman, holding positions on multiple large Conglomerates. Josef was a member of the noble Bavarian Schmitt family.

Career beginnings

Schmitt studied law at university and gained his PhD to become a doctor of law. In his early life, Schmitt acted as a prosecutor and judge in his home town of Bamberg. He became a Bavarian Privy Councillor
From 1870, Schmitt held the prestigious title of a Royal Lawyer of Bamberg, working directly with the crown of Bavaria. The profession of lawyer was at that time a state-assigned department. From 1884 to 1905 he was Regional Court President in Bamberg.

Later life

Schmitt was also, notably, an extremely successful businessman. In Gründerzeit, he was involved in numerous start-ups. He was on the board of Dresdner Bank, :de:Bankhaus Gebrüder Arnhold|Bankhaus Gebrüder Arnhold. From 1898 until his death he served as chairman of the board of the Schweinfurt ball producer ":de:Fries & Höpflinger A.G| Fries & Höpflinger A.G" which later merged to become the conglomerate SKF, and Schmitt contributed decisively to the boom of the company.
Schmitt also performed a number of honorary functions, these included being chairman of the Community Plenipotentiary Collegium and president of the district administrators in Bamberg.

Honours

Schmitt was appointed an honorary citizen of Bamberg in 1889. The main street in Bamberg, "Dr.-von-Schmitt-Straße" also bears his name today.
In 1896 Prince Regent Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria awarded him the Ritterkreuz of Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown. With the award of the title and he was entered into German nobility with the title of Dr. Josef Ritter von Schmitt; Ritter is a hereditary title roughly equivalent to the British Baronet.

Literature