Alexander von Westerholt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Count Alexander Ferdinand von Westerholt (1763 – 1827) was a Bavarian statesman and scholar.
Westerhold was born in the Free Imperial City of Regensburg in 1763. He was the son of Johann Jakob von Westerholt (1727–1814), who had been born in Koblenz and had inherited the position of postmaster.[1] In 1755, he became Hofmarschall (essentially Chamberlain) for Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis in Regensburg before becoming President of the Court Economy. He was also Electoral Treasurer of the Electorate of Trier and Cologne. He was raised Imperial vicar to the Imperial count by Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria in Munich in 1790.[2]
His paternal grandparents were Johann Karl Albert von Westerholt, who owned the Vilckrath estate in the Duchy of Berg through his mother.[3]
Career
Westerholt was a Privy Councilor and statesman who served as vice president of the government during the Napoleonic Wars.[4] He was also a scholar who served as chief librarian.[5] He was based in Regensburg when it was the permanent seat of the Imperial Diet. In April 1803, Regensburg was mediatised to the new Principality of Regensburg before being ceded to the Kingdom of Bavaria by the Treaty of Paris in 1810. Letters between Westerholt and Jesuit theologian Johann Michael Sailer were published by the Regensburg diocese.[6]
Reportedly, he was a member of the Illuminati under the code name Montaigne/Themistocles.[7]
