Friedrich Franz Karl Hecker
| Friedrich Hecker | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 28, 1811 Eichtersheim, Grand Duchy of Baden |
| Died | March 24, 1881 (aged 69) Summerfield, Illinois, US |
| Buried at | Summerfield Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
United States Union |
| Service/branch | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Commands held |
24th Illinois Infantry Regiment 82nd Illinois Infantry Regiment 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XI Corps |
| Battles/wars |
Hecker Uprising American Civil War |
| Other work | lawyer, politician |
Friedrich Franz Karl Hecker (September 28, 1811 – March 24, 1881) was a German lawyer, politician and revolutionary. He was one of the most popular speakers and agitators of the 1848 Revolution. After moving to the United States, he served as a brigade commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Born at Eichtersheim (now Angelbachtal in Baden-Württemberg), the son of a revenue official, he studied law at the University of Heidelberg with the intention of becoming a lawyer. In Heidelberg he became a member of the Corps Rhenania. In 1838, he was an advocate before the Supreme Court in Mannheim. He abandoned the legal profession on being elected to the Second Chamber of Baden in 1842, and at once began to take part in the opposition against the government, which assumed a more and more openly radical character. His talents as an agitator and his personal charm won him wide popularity and influence. His influence helped to oust the Blittersdorf ministry from office.
In early 1845 the political issue of the incorporation of Schleswig and Holstein with Denmark arose in the public eye, with a particular interest to democratically minded politicians who favored unity of all the German states as a core of their programme. On February 6 he gave a speech opposing this annexation in the Baden Second Chamber, which gave him much notoriety outside Baden. On March 9 his friend and liberal compatriot died suddenly of a lung disease, marking the beginning an ever increasing tone of bitterness by Hecker toward the government. Later that year he and conducted a campaign of democracy, one result of which was his expulsion from Prussia on the occasion of a journey to Stettin, which had the effect of adding to his popularity. During this time, even before the outbreak of the revolution, he also began to lean towards socialism.
...
Wikipedia