Gallus Jacob Baumgartner
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Gallus Jacob Baumgartner | |
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Born | 18 October 1797 |
Died | 12 July 1869 | (aged 71)
Nationality | Swiss |
Occupation | Statesman |
Gallus Jacob Baumgartner (18 October 1797 in
Biography
After attending the Gymnasium in St. Gall he studied law at Fribourg, Switzerland, and in Vienna. From 1817 to 1819 he was a tutor in Hungary. Returning to Vienna in 1819, he was arrested there after the murder of August von Kotzebue by Karl Ludwig Sand on the false suspicion of belonging to a Swiss political society and was expelled form the city in 1820. He began his political career as keeper of the archives of his native canton, St. Gall. This position gave him the opportunity of learning the topography, history, laws, and legal relations of the canton. In 1822 he was made official secretary; in 1825 he became a member of the great council of the canton and was appointed chancellor.
On account of his knowledge of business he was selected, in 1831, for the position of Landammann, or chief magistrate of the canton, and held the office until 1846. During his administration he tried to make a closely united republic out of the loosely connected cantons, and to improving the Swiss roads and waterways. Appointed a delegate, at this time, to the diet at Lucerne he endeavoured at the diet to bring about a reorganization of the confederation. He wished to create a vigorous, organically united republic similar to that of the United States, retaining at the same time a large amount of independence for the individual cantons. Baumgartner's chief opponents in carrying out this project were the Catholic clergy, for he aimed to separate the Catholic church entirely from Rome and to place it under the control of the State. He was largely influenced by Josephinism and by the ideas of Ignaz Heinrich von Wessenberg.
In 1832, at his suggestion, the Bishopric of
After his defeat in 1864, Baumgartner withdrew altogether from public life and devoted himself to the study of the history of his native canton. The results of his researches appeared in two works issued by him: Die Schweiz in ihren Kämpfen und Umgestaltungen von 1830-1850 (4 vols, Zurich, 1853, 1866), and Geschichte des schweizerischen Freistaats und Kantons St. Gallen (2 vols., Zurich, 1868). A third volume of the history was prepared by his son, Alexander, from the papers Baumgartner left at his death, and issued in
References
- Franz Xaver Heindl, Repertorium der Padagogik, I, 34.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Gallus Jacob Baumgartner". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.