He was the 12th prime minister of Luxembourg, serving for one year, from 18 June 1917 until 28 September 1918.

[1] After studying law, in 1893 Kauffman was appointed an Attaché of the Parquet Général, and then was a justice of the peace in Echternach from 1898 to 1900.

[1] In 1917 there was a crisis within the Thorn Ministry, as the Chamber of Deputies had withdrawn confidence from agriculture minister Michel Welter.

There were disagreements, however, as the government refused, as the Chamber demanded, to establish the origins of sovereign power "in the nation," instead of "in the person of the Grand Duke", as hitherto.

[3] When it became known that the prime minister had been present at a private visit of the German chancellor Georg von Hertling to Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde on 16 August 1918, the government was reformed.