Axel Gustav Adlercreutz
Encyclopedia
Axel Gustaf Adlercreutz (March 2, 1821 – May 20, 1880) was a politician
, civil servant, President of the Göta Court of Appeal, Minister in the Cabinet, Member of Parliament
1847-66 and 1877-80, Prime Minister for Justice
1870-74.
Married 1853 to Baroness Hedvig Lewenhaupt, with whom he had ten children.
in present-day Västra Götaland County
, the son of Lieutenant General Gustaf Magnus Adlercreutz
and Margareta Elisabeth Charlotta von Arbin. He received a Bachelor of Laws degree at Uppsala
1845 and then made a typical and successful career in the civil service: clerk at the Treasury College (Kammarkollegiet) and at the Bureau for Justice Affairs (Justitierevisionen), then a notary at the Svea Court of Appeal
, Deputy District Judge (vice häradshövding) 1848, Public Prosecutor (fiskal) 1850, Assessor 1853 and Justice of the Supreme Court of Sweden
1860, finally becoming President of Göta Court of Appeal 1868. Adlercreutz barely had time to take up his office before King Charles XV
appointed him Minister of Civil Affairs in the Cabinet of Louis De Geer, despite the fact that Adlercreutz had opposed the abolition of the Parliament of the Estates, a minor revolution that had been the work of De Geer. One explanation for the King's choice was a desire to placate a Parliament that had adopted a cool attitude toward the Government after the Representation Reform Act of 1865-66. The Second Chamber was dominated by fiscally conservative farmers who adopted cuts in the Government's budget proposal, backed up by the First Chamber where resentment toward the Representation Reform still lingered.
When the criticism did not abate, De Geer also lost the support of the King and resigned. As the strongest figure in the Privy Council, Adlercreutz now became Prime Minister for Justice
. The King now intervened more openly with Government affairs, which undermined the position of the Privy Council. Charles announced in his Throne Speech that he intended to summon an extraordinary Parliament in order to solve the issue of defense policy. Not even all members of the Council had been notified in advance. When, at this extraordinary Parliament, the Government lost the vote on defense policy, all members of the Privy Council requested to be relieved of their office. While the King attempted to compose a new government, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Wachtmeister suffered a stroke in the street and fell dead to the ground. Except a frail health, he had been upset and worried during the crisis of government. 23 days after the resignation applications, the Posttidningen declared that since efforts to form a new Privy Council had failed to achieve their intended objective, the current members of the Privy Council had offered to remain in their offices, upon the King's request. Thus Adlercreutz oversaw the change on the throne after Charles XV, who died in 1872 after some time of disease at the age of 46, to the King's brother, Oscar II
.
In 1873, the issue of defense policy was solved by a compromise engineered by De Geer in his capacity as Chairman of the Parliament Defense Committee. Nevertheless, conflict arose the following year over a question concerning the organization of the Army, over which Adlercreutz to some surprise demanded a vote of confidence and lost.
Upon his resignation he was appointed Governor of Malmöhus County
. In that district, he was returned to the bicameral Parliament of 1877, after having been absent since the abolition of the Parliament of the Estates, wherein he had belonged to the Estate of the Nobility. After his resignation he became an outspoken critic of the policy of the De Geer Cabinet; among other issues he opposed the abolition of the duty of conveyance which the major part of farmers owed the King. He tabled motions on legislation against lotteries.
Axel Adlercreutz was of a hot-tempered and courageous nature. He never hesitated to give as good as he got on the floor of Parliament. Count Henning Hamilton
, used to being treated with great deference, was nonplussed when Adlercreutz rebuked him for his gibes. When De Geer lamented the coarse tone of the debate, Adlercreutz replied that it was only the final powerless twitches of the defeated. With his undaunted spirit and naïvete, he also passed quite unscathed through Parliament despite all attempts to bring him down. He was small and brave as a weasel, Carl Wadenstierna, his colleague in Parliament, said of him.
Axel Adlercreutz died May 20, 1880 in Stockholm
, at the age of 59.
This article is to a large extent a translation of the equivalent article in the Swedish-language Wikipedia.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, civil servant, President of the Göta Court of Appeal, Minister in the Cabinet, Member of Parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
1847-66 and 1877-80, Prime Minister for Justice
Prime Minister of Sweden
The Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
1870-74.
Married 1853 to Baroness Hedvig Lewenhaupt, with whom he had ten children.
Life
Axel Adlercreutz was born in SkaraSkara
Skara is a locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 18595 inhabitants in 2005. Despite its small size, it has a long educational and ecclesiastical history. One of Sweden's oldest high schools, Katedralskolan , is situated in Skara...
in present-day Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County is a county or län on the western coast of Sweden.The county is the second largest of Sweden's counties and it is subdivided into 49 municipalities . Its population of 1,550,000 amounts to 17% of Sweden's population...
, the son of Lieutenant General Gustaf Magnus Adlercreutz
Adlercreutz
Adlercreutz is a Swedish and Finnish noble family. Its oldest known ancestor is Erik Markusson, dead 1654, who was a farmer in Biskops, Stortötar, Lohja, Uusimaa...
and Margareta Elisabeth Charlotta von Arbin. He received a Bachelor of Laws degree at Uppsala
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
1845 and then made a typical and successful career in the civil service: clerk at the Treasury College (Kammarkollegiet) and at the Bureau for Justice Affairs (Justitierevisionen), then a notary at the Svea Court of Appeal
Svea Court of Appeal
The Svea Court of Appeal , located in Stockholm, is one of six appellate courts in the Swedish legal system. It was founded in 1614 and was the highest court in Sweden until 1789, when the Supreme Court of Sweden was established....
, Deputy District Judge (vice häradshövding) 1848, Public Prosecutor (fiskal) 1850, Assessor 1853 and Justice of the Supreme Court of Sweden
Supreme Court of Sweden
The Supreme Court of Sweden is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and with few exceptions, leave to appeal can be granted only when the case is of...
1860, finally becoming President of Göta Court of Appeal 1868. Adlercreutz barely had time to take up his office before King Charles XV
Charles XV of Sweden
Charles XV & IV also Carl ; Swedish and Norwegian: Karl was King of Sweden and Norway from 1859 until his death....
appointed him Minister of Civil Affairs in the Cabinet of Louis De Geer, despite the fact that Adlercreutz had opposed the abolition of the Parliament of the Estates, a minor revolution that had been the work of De Geer. One explanation for the King's choice was a desire to placate a Parliament that had adopted a cool attitude toward the Government after the Representation Reform Act of 1865-66. The Second Chamber was dominated by fiscally conservative farmers who adopted cuts in the Government's budget proposal, backed up by the First Chamber where resentment toward the Representation Reform still lingered.
When the criticism did not abate, De Geer also lost the support of the King and resigned. As the strongest figure in the Privy Council, Adlercreutz now became Prime Minister for Justice
Prime Minister of Sweden
The Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
. The King now intervened more openly with Government affairs, which undermined the position of the Privy Council. Charles announced in his Throne Speech that he intended to summon an extraordinary Parliament in order to solve the issue of defense policy. Not even all members of the Council had been notified in advance. When, at this extraordinary Parliament, the Government lost the vote on defense policy, all members of the Privy Council requested to be relieved of their office. While the King attempted to compose a new government, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Wachtmeister suffered a stroke in the street and fell dead to the ground. Except a frail health, he had been upset and worried during the crisis of government. 23 days after the resignation applications, the Posttidningen declared that since efforts to form a new Privy Council had failed to achieve their intended objective, the current members of the Privy Council had offered to remain in their offices, upon the King's request. Thus Adlercreutz oversaw the change on the throne after Charles XV, who died in 1872 after some time of disease at the age of 46, to the King's brother, Oscar II
Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II , baptised Oscar Fredrik was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death and King of Norway from 1872 until 1905. The third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, he was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden through his mother.-Early life:At his birth in Stockholm, Oscar...
.
In 1873, the issue of defense policy was solved by a compromise engineered by De Geer in his capacity as Chairman of the Parliament Defense Committee. Nevertheless, conflict arose the following year over a question concerning the organization of the Army, over which Adlercreutz to some surprise demanded a vote of confidence and lost.
Upon his resignation he was appointed Governor of Malmöhus County
Malmöhus County
Malmöhus County was a county of Sweden until 1997 when it was merged with Kristianstad County to form Skåne County.It had been named after Malmöhus, the castle in Malmö, which also was where the Governor originally resided....
. In that district, he was returned to the bicameral Parliament of 1877, after having been absent since the abolition of the Parliament of the Estates, wherein he had belonged to the Estate of the Nobility. After his resignation he became an outspoken critic of the policy of the De Geer Cabinet; among other issues he opposed the abolition of the duty of conveyance which the major part of farmers owed the King. He tabled motions on legislation against lotteries.
Axel Adlercreutz was of a hot-tempered and courageous nature. He never hesitated to give as good as he got on the floor of Parliament. Count Henning Hamilton
Henning Hamilton
Henning Ludvig Hugo Hamilton, born January 16 1814 in Stockholm, Sweden, deceased January 15 1886 in Amélie-les-Bains, France, was a Swedish count, politician, government official and author. His father was Gustaf Wathier Hamilton...
, used to being treated with great deference, was nonplussed when Adlercreutz rebuked him for his gibes. When De Geer lamented the coarse tone of the debate, Adlercreutz replied that it was only the final powerless twitches of the defeated. With his undaunted spirit and naïvete, he also passed quite unscathed through Parliament despite all attempts to bring him down. He was small and brave as a weasel, Carl Wadenstierna, his colleague in Parliament, said of him.
Axel Adlercreutz died May 20, 1880 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, at the age of 59.
This article is to a large extent a translation of the equivalent article in the Swedish-language Wikipedia.