Hans Christoph Ernst von Gagern

Hans Christoph Ernst Freiherr von Gagern (25 January 1766 – 22 October 1852), German statesman and political writer, was born at Kleinniedesheim, near Worms.

[1] He was afterwards appointed the prince's envoy at Paris, where he remained until the decree of Napoleon, forbidding all persons born on the left side of the Rhine to serve any other state than France, compelled him to resign his office (1811).

On the failure of this attempt he left Austria and joined the headquarters of the Prussian army (1813), and became a member of the board of administration for north Germany.

From 1816 to 1818 he was Luxemburg envoy at the German diet, but was recalled, at the instance of Metternich, owing to his too independent advocacy of state constitutions.

In 1820 he retired with a pension to his estate at Hornau, near Hochst, in Hesse-Darmstadt; but as a member of the first chamber of the states of the Grand Duchy he continued to take an active share in the promotion of measures for the welfare of his country.