August 1875 – 1945),[1] later Ritter Josef Schmitt was a German Lawyer, Knight, and Privy Councilor.

Josef was born into a devout Catholic family, and was originally brought into law through his father, Josef von Schmitt, who was a Bavarian privy councillor an advisor to the crown, and his uncle, Gottfried von Schmitt, who served as member of the Imperial Council of Bavaria, which served as the aristocratic government body of Bavaria.

After Josef Schmitt attended high school in Münnerstadt and served one year as a military volunteer, he studied law at the University of Würzburg.

Bavarian Artillery Corps in Würzburg, at which time he was awarded an Iron Cross.

He was a member of the Bavarian State Committee of Deutsche Bank and Disconto-Gesellschaft and the Allianz and Stuttgarter Verein Versicherungs-AG, later Allianz Josef Schmitt was later appointed Privy Councilor to the crown of Bavaria.