User:Dr Gangrene/Léon Wurth

Léon-Mathias Wurth, born on 10 April 1828.

Attended the Athénée. After studying in Liège, Paris and Heidelberg, he became a lawyer in Luxembourg in 1851 and was admitted to practise in the court of appeals in 1853.

For 20 years he was a highly respected lawyer at the bar of his home town. In 1851 he represented the city of Luxembourg in a major court case against the heirs of Madamd de Geisen, namely count Maximilien Victor d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt, who wanted to annul part of the will that left a house in the Rue du Curé to the city, to be given to the head of the Catholic Church.

His most famous engagement was in cases with railway companies. He appeared for the State against hte Société Guillaume-Luxembourg, which was accused of breaking the terms of its concession. It ran into difficultires in 1857 when, despite receiving 8 million francs in subsidies, it was unable to keep running the lines in its network, and ceded these rights to the French Compagnie de l'Est, without asking the Luxembourgish govrnment for permission.

Later in his career, Wurth was to appear for the railway companies Guillaume-Luxembourg and Prince-Henri.

From 1864 to 1873, he was a member of the supervisory board of the Caisse d'Épargne.

Wurth's start in politics coincided with his father's time in the Simons Ministry. He associated with the staff of the newspaper La Revue, an absolutist and anti-Metz newspaper, which continued the tendancies of the "Patriote" (1848-1855).

When Ernest Simons was named director-general of the Interior, Wurth entered the Assembly of Estates in 1864 where he represented the canton of Remich. He was also a member of the Chamber of Deputies.

In 1867 he was almost sent to London for the London Conference on the neutrality of Luxembourg. A meeting between William III and his ministers decided to send the former president of the Assembly of Estates, Théodore Pescatore, to the conference as plenipotentiary, with Wurth as his secretary. But Pescatore declined to go. William III and Prince Henry, meeting on 2 May, decided on Victor de Tornaco, Jean-Georges Augustin and Léon Wurth. In the end, however, Wurth declined to go.

In May 1868,

In 1872 he became a director of the Banque Internationale du Luxembourg.

Died in 1897.

Married Joséphine Macher (1839-1898), daughter of notary and mayor Willibrord Macher (1807-1856), orangist, and of Joséphine Augustin.

6 children: Joseph, Paul, André, Hélène, Albert, Marguerite

Joseph Wurth
Son of Léon Wurth. Born 1861.

Studied law in Heidelberg, Munich, Lyon and Paris. Became a lawyer in 1884 and admitted to practise in the court of appeals in 1888. Stayed a member of hte bar until 1894.

For a while, practised law with his brother André.

Spent part of his youth in the house on the Fishmarket that had belonged to his grandfather Francois-Xavier Wurth-Paquet.

1912: Chevalier of the Ordre de la Couronne de Chene

1912: chevalier, 3rd class, Ordre de la Couronne de fer d'Autriche

1910-1919: consul of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; had to enrol nationals of Austria-Hungary in Luxembourg, into the army in WWI

His grandfather F-X W-P was a cousin of Mrs Charles-Gérard Eschen, mother of Paul Eyschen

Joseph, his brother Paul, were pallbearers at the funerla of Paul Eyschen

Paul nad Pierre and Joseph Wurth were also present at the inauguration of the monument in Stadtbredimus to Paul Eyschen

From 1877 was one of the founding members of the Société Historico-Chronologique

Married Louise Weiler (1863-1915), daughter of Romain Weiler and A.-Christine Dutreux. Six children:

-Maurice (d. young)

-Madeleine (1894-1961) marrie Charles Majerus (1889-1955).

-Germaine (1897-?) married Fernand Turk, sec-gen of Columeta

-Gabrielle

-Juliette

-Marcel

In 1921 married Guita Clerico (1889-)

In 1923 moved to Boppard, Germany

Returned to Luxembourg in 1931.

One of his friends was the writer and journalist Batty Weber, a school friend from the Athénée; also Robert BRasseur, Emile Schroell, Ernest Arendt; Paul Brasseur.

Was a germanophile, unlike his brother Paul, who was a francophile.

DIed 1946.