Senator Hans Reimer Claussen View All Years

HON. HANS REIMER CLAUSSEN, of Davenport, died in that city on the 14th of March. He was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in 1804, and graduated from the law department of the University of Keil when he was 26 years of age. Entering at once upon the practice of his profession, he attained high rank and was repeatedly elected to the Legislature for Holstein, of which he became a leading member. The Province of Schleswig-Holstein, although settled largely by Germans, was under the rule of the King of Denmark. In 1848 the people of Schleswig-Holstein declared their independence and took up arms to resist the rule of the Danish government. Mr. Claussen was a prominent leader in the insurrection, and the Provisional Government established by the revolutionists sent him as an ambassador to Berlin. He obtained material aid from the Prussian government, and with this assistance the Danish army was driven out, and the independence of the province established. In 1851 Prussia and Austria united in restoring Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark. Mr. Claussen had been an active member of the German Parliament which sought to establish a free constitutional government similar to that of the United States, but the kings rejected it and maintained their rule. He had been such a very prominent leader of the party working for a free government that when Schleswig was restored to Denmark he was one of the twenty revolutionists to whom amnesty was refused. He, therefore, emigrated to America, settling in Davenport in 1851. He mastered the English language in two years, and acquired such a knowledge of Iowa law as to be admitted to the bar. He was henceforth a prominent and influential citizen of Davenport, and in 1869 was elected to the State Senate from Scott county, serving four years with marked ability. After his native country had been emancipated from Danish rule, he returned to his old home to visit the friends and scenes of his youthful days. He was warmly welcomed by his companions of revolutionary times, who were now enjoying the freedom they had so bravely struggled for a quarter of a century ago. The Davenport Tribune says of him: “Mr. Claussen was a man always loyal to principle, and to his convictions, no matter what the effect on his personal fortunes. He carefully and conscientiously considered a subject from every standpoint, and formed his opinions, from which he would not vary. His influence has been exerted for good all his life, and will continue to bear fruit in the years to come.”