Heinrich Lammasch [1853-1920]

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Heinrich Lammasch [1853-1920]

N.B.: This is one of more than 80 web pages presenting -- in chronological order -- physical monuments & selected events related to one or more famous peacemakers. For others in the series, see names in red on web page for Famous Peacemakers.
Heinrich Lammasch [1853-1920] was a great Austrian peacemaker: Professor of Penal Law & International Law, & scholar/publicist, as well as active as diplomat. He had strong links with the peace movement. He was member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague (Netherlands). He served as the last Minister-President of Austria (or Cisleithania) for a few weeks in October & November 1918. He was the first and only non-noble to serve as Minister-President in the Austrian half of the Habsburg monarchy. Click here for article about Heinrich Lammasch at Austria-Forum (in German).

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E May 21, 1853 - Birth of Heinrich Lammasch, Seitenstetten (Austria). Son of a notary. Left image shows his Geburtshaus / birthplace, now Cafe Café Mitterer. Right image is Gedenktafel / plaque placed in 2008 to mark the building. Information courtesy of Gerard Lössbroek.
1865 - Birth of Leonore Gemeiner, wife of Heinrich Lammasch.
1878 - Lammasch qualifies for the teaching faculty at the University of Vienna.
1882 - Lammasch's pioneer pamphlet on the objective danger in the conception of attempted crime wins for him an extraordinary professorship.
1885 - Lammasch obtains a full professorship at the University of Innsbruck.
1889 - Lammasch returns to Vienna & there became an advocate of the idea of a league of nations in the spirit of Christian philosophy.

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F 1899 - First Hague Peace Conference, Orange Hall, Huis ten Bosch / House in the Wood, The Hague (Netherlands). Lammasch "is a technical delegate of Austria-Hungary to the First Hague Peace Conference of 1899 and to the Second of 1907, in both of which he rendered valuable but inconspicuous service [as a] member of the arbitration section of each." /// The conference was "not driven by the sudden conversion of Europe's rulers to pacifism, but by Russia's desire to escape the crushing burden of keeping up with Germany & England's armament pace in Western Europe. Although certain idealistic motives played roles, no progress was made on disarmament at the end of each day. Nevertheless, the Conference was not without important results, including the creation of the the first international organization, the Permanent Court of Arbitration [PCA]..."

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G 1904-1910 - As "a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague (Netherlands), "Lammasch was called upon to serve as a judge in four disputes: (1) the Venezuelan Preferential case between Germany, Great Britain, Italy & Venezaela, decided on February 22, 1904; (2) the Muscat Dhows case between France & Great Britain, decided on August 8, 1905; (3) the North Atlantic Coast Fisheries case between Great Britain & the United States, decided on September 7, 1910; (4) the Orinoco Steamship Company case, decided on October 25, 1910. In these last three cases he was either president or umpire." Information courtesy of Gerard Lössbroek.

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E June 15, 1907 - Second Hague Peace Conference, Binnenhof, Hall of Knights, The Hague (Netherlands). Lammasch showed himself a consistent advocate of compulsory arbitration. In the closing days of the Conference he was, however, silent, as Germany had forced Austria-Hungary to forsake the camp of arbitration and to oppose the proposed treaty of arbitration, which the overwhelming majority wished to but could not pass over Germany's opposition. It would have been better for Austria-Hungary if it had followed the advice of its technical delegate and broken then & there with Germany on the subject of arbitration." /// "It is a little known fact that the initiative for the Second Hague Peace Conference came from civil society in the USA. Prompted by a petition in 1903 from the American Peace Society in Boston, the Massachusetts legislature passed a resolution requesting Congress to authorize the President of the USA to invite the governments of the world to join in establishing a regular international congress to meet at stated periods to deliberate upon the various questions of common interest. The idea was taken up in St. Louis in 1904 [year of the St. Louis Worlds Fair] by the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) that recommended a conference to deal with the subjects postponed at The Hague in 1899. It led to the negotiation of a series of arbitration treaties among the various nations and the consideration of plans for a series of congresses-the kind recommended by the Massachusetts legislature. President Theodore Roosevelt [1858-1919] responded to this invitation by convening the Second Hague Peace Conference. It was held on June 15, 1907, after being formally convened by the Czar. This time, Russia proposed an agenda limited to improvements in arbitration and humanitarian law, while America suggested discussing the limitation of armaments and the use of force in the collection of debts." //// Middle image is Korean delegation. Lower image is Yi Jun Peace Museum established in 1995. Yi Jun [1859-1907] represented Korea at the Second Hague Peace Conference and died in this building during the conference. Video
September 7, 1910 - Lammasch arranges the Newfoundland dispute between Great Britain & the USA. "The Hague Tribunal resolved several fishing disputes between Newfoundland & the United States dating back to fishing rights granted the Americans under the Treaty of Paris of 1783 & the Anglo-American Convention of 1818. One of its rulings defined the Newfoundland marine territorial limit of three marine miles."
October 25, 1910 - A tribunal composed of three members selected from the Permanent Court of Arbitration renders its decision in the "Orinoco dispute" between Venezuela & the USA. Heinrich Lammasch of Austria is president of the tribunal. Its other two members are Auguste M. F. Beernaert of Belgium & Gonzalo de Quesada of Cuba. The tribunal's sessions began September 28 & ended October 19, 1910.
October-November 1918 - Lammasch serves as the last Minister-President of Austria (or Cisleithania) for a few weeks in October & November 1918. Thus the last prime minister of imperial Austria.

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D November 11, 1918 - "US Secretary of State Robert Lansing replied October 18 that the Allies were now committed to the causes of the Czechs, Slovaks & South Slavs. Therefore, autonomy for the nationalities was no longer enough. One by one, the nationalities proclaimed their independence; even before the note the national councils had been acting more like provisional governments. Charles' political future became uncertain. On 31 October, Hungary officially ended the personal union between Austria & Hungary. Nothing remained of Charles' realm except the Danubian & Alpine provinces, & he was challenged even there by the German Austrian State Council. His last prime minister, Heinrich Lammasch, advised him that it was fruitless to stay on. On 11 November 1918 - the same day as the armistice ending the war between allies and Germany - Charles I issued a carefully worded proclamation in which he recognized the Austrian people's right to determine the form of the state & 'relinquish(ed) every participation in the administration of the State.' He also released his officials from their oath of loyalty to him. On the same day, the Imperial Family left Schönbrunn and moved to Castle Eckartsau [image], east of Vienna. On 13 November, following a visit of Hungarian magnates, Charles issued a similar proclamation for Hungary. Although it has widely been cited as an 'abdication,' that word was never mentioned in either proclamation. Indeed, he deliberately avoided using the word abdication in the hope that the people of either Austria or Hungary would vote to recall him."

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Y 1919 - Lammasch is "a member of the Austrian delegation at the peace negotiations St. Germain-en-Laye (France)." "The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, was signed on 10 September 1919 by the victorious Allies of World War I on the one hand & by the new Republic of Austria on the other. Like the Treaty of Versailles with Germany, it contained the Covenant of the League of Nations & as a result was not ratified by the United States. The treaty declared that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was to be dissolved. The new Republic of Austria, consisting of most of the German-speaking Danubian & Alpine provinces of the former Austrian Empire, but not the German-speaking Sudetenland, nor South Tyrol, recognized the independence of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland & the State of Slovenes, Croats & Serbs. The treaty included 'war reparations' of large sums of money, directed towards the allies, to pay for the costs of the war... The treaty signing ceremony took place at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye [as seen in image]."
About 1919 - Austrian Society for the League of Nations, founded by Dr. Lammasch & of which he was honorary president. "Dr. Lammasch was an unwavering advocate of a league of nations. He did not believe it necessary to federate the world or to create a super-state. There should be a close and intimate cooperation of the states, which should bind themselves to peaceful settlement through commissions of enquiry, tribunals of arbitration and courts of justice. The obligations assumed shoidd be enforced, as he ulti- mately came to the conclusion that the world could not rely alone on moral suasion, and required a physical sanction. In his scheme, however, the League was to be governed by law, as were the nations. The work of the Hague Conferences he always respected. They should be continued, and he could not understand why the Covenant contained no reference to them and why it did not provide for their continuance. He felt it to be unfortunate that the Hague Conventions were not specifically mentioned as remaining in force, although he did not doubt that they were. He was also disappointed at the casual way in which Article 14 of the Covenant referred to a pro- posed Court of International Justice. Still, however, he stood by the League, and in the little book which has appeared since his death, VoUcermord oder VSlkerbund, he expressed the opinion that the choice lay between suicide or a league of nations." Information courtesy of Gerard Lössbroek.

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B January 6, 1920 - Death of Heinrich Lammasch, Salzburg (Austria). Image shows his tomb in Friedhof / Cemetety, Bad Ischl (Austria) in the left row near the side entrance. Wife and daughter lived until her death in a house near the park Rudolf. Information courtesy of Gerard Lössbroek.

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T 1953 - Bust of Heinrich Lammasch, The Arkadenhof, University of Vienna, Vienna (Austria). Marks the centennial of Lammasch's birth. Information courtesy of Peter van den Dungen.
1958 - Death of Leonore Gemeiner, wife of Heinrich Lammasch, at age 93. She was a widow for 38 years.

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E April 20, 2008 - Gedenktafel / plaque marking birthplace of Heinrich Lammasch, Seitenstetten (Austria). Click here for "Festschrift zur Enthüllung einer Gedenktafel am Geburtshaus von Heinrich Lammasch". Left image shows his Geburtshaus / birthplace, now Cafe Café Mitterer. Information courtesy of Gerard Lössbroek.

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K March 7, 2010 - Zum Wohle Osterreichs / For the benefit of Austria by Dieter Köberl. Excerpts courtesy of the weekly newspaper DIE FURROW (Google translation): "Henrich Lammasch died 90 years ago, the last imperial Prime Minister, a legal scholar of distinction - and prophetic lone fighter for peace and independence. When the war broke out in 1914 Henrich was one of the few intellectuals who did not follow the war fever." Lammasch Henry died in 1920. He was last k.k. Prime Minister, Rechtsgeleherter of rank-and prophetic-lone fighter for peace and Unabhägigkeit In the third year of the war of World War I, at the Vienna mansion to tumultuous scenes, as a member Heinrich Lammasch for a negotiated peace on the principles of 'peace without annexations, equality of nations, peaceful settlement of future differences' advertised. He warned prophetically: 'The so-called Siegfrieds would be ... a false peace, a truce would be in front of a still vaster and entsetzlicheren weapons program.' Impressed with the vision of this courageous speeches today, back then was shouted down Lammasch, public opinion was against him, of the liberal Neue Freie Presse to the Christian Social Reichspost. Short-term success of the Central Powers on the Italian front, where poison gas was used, had nourished the illusion of military victory and contributed to the rejection of peace efforts. /// Who was this man, the "noble Lammasch" (Karl Kraus), which is today largely forgotten in Austria? The Universities of Innsbruck and Vienna, the mansion, peace conferences and the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague were stages in his life. When war broke out in 1914 Henry was one of the few intellectuals who did not follow the war fever. As a member of the peace movement, he was the General Staff of highly suspect, even his arrest was required. Already in the first year of the war, he called for international investigations of violations of the laws of war. During the brutal war of imperial army against the civilian population of tens of thousands were executed without trial on the gallows. 1915 Lammasch handed in his resignation for health reasons, one of the university and moved to Salzburg. The war, before he had been warning for years, was lost in his opinion and possible rescue of Austria with only one other foreign policy orientation. In Salzburg, he probably hoped for a more peaceful age. There was a group of like-minded people, by Ernst Karl Winter as "right-wing, but left thinking" characterized..."