Karl Heinrich von Boetticher

Karl Heinrich von Boetticher (6 January 1833 – 6 March 1907) was a German conservative statesman. He served as the secretary of the Interior (1880–1897), and the vice-chancellor of the German Empire (1881–1897).

Karl Heinrich von Boetticher
Karl Heinrich von Boetticher in 1880
Vice-Chancellor of the German Empire
In office 20 June 1881 – 1 July 1897
Chancellor	Otto von Bismarck
Preceded by	Otto Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode
Succeeded by	Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner
Secretary of the Interior of German Empire
In office 1 September 1880 – 1 July 1897
Chancellor	Otto von Bismarck (1871–1890) Leo von Caprivi (1890–1894) Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1894–1900)
Preceded by	Karl Hofmann
Succeeded by	Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner
Member of the Reichstag
In office 1878–1879
Constituency	Schleswig-Holstein 2
Personal details
Born	(1833-01-06)6 January 1833 Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia
Died	6 March 1907(1907-03-06) (aged 74) Naumburg, Province of Saxony, Prussia
Nationality	German
Political party	Free Conservative Party
Alma mater	University of Würzburg University of Berlin
Occupation	Lawyer

Biography

Born in Stettin in Pomerania, the son of a judge, Boetticher studied law in the University of Würzburg and the University of Berlin. He was governor of Schleswig in 1876. In 1878 he became a member of the Reichstag for the Free Conservative Party. In 1879, he was lieutenant general of the province of Schleswig-Holstein. In 1880 he succeeded Karl von Hofmann as Secretary of the Interior of the German Empire. In 1881, he also became vice chancellor in Bismarck's cabinet. He held both positions until 1897.

As the representative of Chancellor Bismarck, Boetticher introduced numerous social reforms, and the enactment of the invalid and old-age insurance laws in 1889 was due principally to his energy and executive ability.

Honours

He received the following orders and decorations:

• Kingdom of Prussia:
  • Knight of the Black Eagle, with Collar
  • Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, with Star
  • Landwehr Service Medal, 1st Class
• Duchy of Anhalt: Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear
• Austria-Hungary: Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold
• Baden: Knight of the Order of Berthold the First, 1884
• Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order
• Grand Duchy of Hesse:
  • Grand Cross of the Merit Order of Philip the Magnanimous, 28 March 1886
  • Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 31 May 1889
• Empire of Japan: Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun
• Mecklenburg: Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Golden Crown
• Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion
• Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig

Literature

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "Bötticher, Karl Heinrich von" . New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.