Carl von In der Maur

Carl Josef Anton von In der Maur auf Strelburg und zu Freifeld (also spelled Karl) (16 October 1852 – 11 December 1913) was an Austrian aristocrat and statesman who twice served in the court of Johann II as the Governor of Liechtenstein from 1884 until 1892 and again from 1897 until 1913.

In der Maur was born into the Tyrolese noble family of In der Maur in Austria. After completing his education he joined the Lower Austrian State Service. He was appointed Governor of Liechtenstein in 1884. He reformed the administration, expanding regulations and government responsibilities. In der Maur had a domineering style of governance, and often acted contrary to the wishes of the Landtag. He left office in 1892 when he was appointed Fürstlicher Kabinettsrat to Vienna, but maintained connections with the rest of the Liechtenstein government through his membership of its Political Recruitment Office. In der Maur returned to the office of Governor in 1897 to serve in a "provisional fashion". He held the post until his death in 1913 following a stroke during an impassioned debate in the Landtag.

Early life Carl Josef Anton von In der Maur auf Strelburg und zu Freifeld was born on 16 October 1852 in Wiener Neustadt, Austrian Empire. He belonged to the Tyrolese noble family In der Maur, who were members of the Austrian Landadel in South Tyrol. His father was Karl Johann Josef Romed von In der Maur auf Strelburg und zu Freifeld, who served in the Austrian government as the Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Education, and his mother was Barbara Kahl. His father had previously been married to Baroness Maria Ludovika Benz de Albkron. He was the elder brother of Ernst Alexander, Marianne Barbara, Friedrich, and Klara Barbara. In Vaduz he served as Presidential Secretary. On 23 September 1884, In der Maur was appointed Fürstlicher Landesverweser (i.e. Governor) of the Principality of Liechtenstein in Vaduz by Prince Johann II. During this time the Landtag passed an unusually limited amount of legislation. In lieu of such lawmaking activity, In der Maur's administration was reorganised and assumed more bureaucratic functions and responsibilities. Between autumn 1884 and December 1890 it promulgated 119 new regulations concerning matters such as education, religion, communal governance, prisons, midwifery, chimney sweeping, livestock, and forest management. He took a particular interest in the school system and endeavored to standardise primary education. He approached governance with an authoritarian style and often contradicted the wishes of the Landtag; his government employed "preventive censorship" and suppressed attempts to introduce bills that would ensure freedom of the press.

In der Maur left office on 5 September 1892, when he was appointed Fürstlicher Kabinettsrat to Vienna and was replaced by Friedrich Stellwag von Carion. He maintained his ties with the rest of the Liechtenstein government through his membership of its Political Recruitment Office. In October 1896, Stellwag died and In der Maur returned to Vaduz to assume his old position in a "provisional" fashion. He regained office on 4 January 1897. He officially retained his post in the Political Recruitment Office, though another appointee took charge of his responsibilities. In der Maur continued to serve as provisional Governor of Liechtenstein until his death. In der Maur (front row, third from left) with members of the Landtag in 1908. In 1901, In der Maur co-founded and became a board member of the Historical Association for the Principality of Liechtenstein, a post he retained until his death. A requiem mass was held on 15 December and he was interred in the crypt of St. Martin's Church in Gnadenwald, Innsbruck.