Carl Gustav Friedrich Hasselbach
Encyclopedia
Carl Gustav Friedrich Hasselbach (March 21, 1809 – April 21, 1882) was a privy councillor, member of the Prussian House of Lords
, and served as Lord Mayor of the city of Magdeburg
from 1851 to 1881.
) to a shipping lawyer, Hasselbach attended school in Stettin, then studied law and public administration at the universities in Göttingen and Berlin. He entered the Prussian
civil service in 1830. Over the next 21 years he would hold various positions at Prussian government offices in Magdeburg
, Gumbinnen and Minden
.
Hasselbach was elected Mayor of Magdeburg in 1851. A staunch conservative and royalist, Hasselbach was promoted to "Lord" Mayor of Magdeburg in 1854 by King Frederick William IV of Prussia
. That promotion made Hasselbach a member of the Prussian House of Lords. He served as a Vice President of the Prussian Upper House from 1872 to 1875.
Hasselbach served as Mayor until 1881, when he retired for health reasons. The city grew dramatically during his tenure. He oversaw several infrastructure projects, including a new waterworks, sewage system, a gas lighting system, a new train station and a new bridge over the Elbe. But his most important development was the physical expansion of the city, granting Magdeburg room to grow its industrial base.
Hasselbach married Auguste Cremat in 1837. The couple had five children.
Prussian House of Lords
The Prussian House of Lords was the first chamber of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1850-1918. The second chamber was the Prussian House of Representatives . The House of Lords was created on January 31, 1850 with the adoption of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Prussia...
, and served as Lord Mayor of the city of Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
from 1851 to 1881.
Life
Born in Stettin (SzczecinSzczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
) to a shipping lawyer, Hasselbach attended school in Stettin, then studied law and public administration at the universities in Göttingen and Berlin. He entered the Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
civil service in 1830. Over the next 21 years he would hold various positions at Prussian government offices in Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, Gumbinnen and Minden
Minden
Minden is a town of about 83,000 inhabitants in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town extends along both sides of the river Weser. It is the capital of the Kreis of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detmold. Minden is the historic political centre of the...
.
Hasselbach was elected Mayor of Magdeburg in 1851. A staunch conservative and royalist, Hasselbach was promoted to "Lord" Mayor of Magdeburg in 1854 by King Frederick William IV of Prussia
Frederick William IV of Prussia
|align=right|Upon his accession, he toned down the reactionary policies enacted by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to enact a popular legislative assembly, preferring to work with the aristocracy through "united committees" of...
. That promotion made Hasselbach a member of the Prussian House of Lords. He served as a Vice President of the Prussian Upper House from 1872 to 1875.
Hasselbach served as Mayor until 1881, when he retired for health reasons. The city grew dramatically during his tenure. He oversaw several infrastructure projects, including a new waterworks, sewage system, a gas lighting system, a new train station and a new bridge over the Elbe. But his most important development was the physical expansion of the city, granting Magdeburg room to grow its industrial base.
Hasselbach married Auguste Cremat in 1837. The couple had five children.
Honors
The city of Magdeburg erected a monument in Hasselbach's honour at the centre of an important traffic intersection, Hasselbachplatz. The monument was moved in 1927. Damaged during WWII, the monument was eventually restored in the late 1990s.Sources
- Mathias Tullner, Magdeburger Biographisches Lexikon, Magdeburg 2002, ISBN 3-933046-49-1
- Martin Wiehle, Magdeburger Persönlichkeiten, 1993, Magdeburg, ISBN 3-910146-06-6