Born in Bălți, in the family of Alexander Schmidt Senior, German Bessarabian, surgeon at the Medical Directorate of Bessarabia.

"The pogrom against the Jews in Kishinev in April 1903 was the last drop that filled the glass and caused Karl Shmidt to resign.

With his contribution the streets were paved, an asylum was opened (1899), the popular Amphitheater with the performance space was built (1900), the bust of Pushkin was unveiled, the first tram lines were opened (1881–95), the first aqueduct was built and the city's sewerage network, street lighting was introduced, numerous buildings were built (Royal School (1886), Princess Natalia Dadiani's Girls' Gymnasium (1900), County History Museum (1889), the current headquarters of the City Hall (1901), etc.).

On 10 May 2014 a bust of Karl Shmidt by Moldavian sculptor Veaceslav Jiglitski was inaugurated in front of the National Philharmonic in Chișinău, near the house where the former mayor lived.

In 1937, a decade after his death, Gheorghe Bezviconi wrote in the magazine From our past that the grave of the great mayor was in poor condition and only a modest wooden cross was guarding him.

... orașul nostru n-a avut niciodată un primar ca neîntrecutul Carol Schmidt.