Josef Ospelt

Josef Ospelt (9 January 1881 – 1 June 1962) was a political figure from Liechtenstein who served as the first Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1921 to 1922.

Early life and career Josef Ospelt, son of Julius and Mary (maiden name Seger), was born in Vaduz on 9 January 1881. After having attended a country school in Vaduz, he began working as a government councillor under Governor of Liechtenstein Carl von In der Maur.

Upon Maur's death on 11 December 1913, he assumed the duties of governor in a provisional manner on behalf of Johann II until the appointment of the new governor, Leopold Freiherr von Imhof in April 1914. In 1918, Ospelt was a founding member of the Progressive Citizens' Party and was later elected chairman and long-time manager of the newspaper Liechtensteiner Volksblatt. He played a key role in Liechtenstein's constitutional revision, which had been in demand since the November 1918 Liechtenstein putsch. He was a member of the advisory committee for the drafting of the constitution and co-signed, along with Prince Karl Aloys of Liechtenstein the constitution of Liechtenstein on 5 October 1921.

Under the new constitution, the office of Governor was succeeded by Prime Minister of Liechtenstein and Ospelt, under the recommendation of the Landtag, was appointed by Johann II to serve as the first Prime Minister on 23 March 1921 under the Josef Ospelt cabinet, making him the first official Liechtensteiner head of government.

Ospelt resigned on 27 April 1922, reportedly for health reasons, but the actual reason has been widely regarded due to the Christian-Social People's Party victory in the 1922 Liechtenstein general election. Ospelt (second from right) with other board members of the Historical Association of Liechtenstein on the site of an excavation in 1933. He was a founding member of the Historical Association for the Principality of Liechtenstein in 1901 and a board member from 1918 to 1950. During this time he significantly contributed to the association’s publications and conducted his own research, publishing 24 articles. In addition, he organised archaeological excavations in the country throughout the 1930s and the preservation of Liechtenstein's documents from 1942. He was a contributor to the Liechtenstein National Museum, which opened in 1954. He was buried at the cemetery in the city along with his wife.

Honours Commander of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein (1937) Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (1949)