Asser, Carel

Dutch jurist and scholar; born at The Hague, June 1, 1843; died at Leyden, Dec. 10, 1898. He was a son of Louis Asser, judge of the district court at The Hague, and grandson of Carel Asser, referendary in the Department of Justice at The Hague. He received his education at the gymnasium in his native city, and at the University of Leyden, obtaining a doctor's degree at the age of twenty-three. Appointed judge of the district court of The Hague in 1878, he retained the position until 1892, when he was made professor of civil law at the University of Leyden. The estimation in which he was held by the Dutch government is shown by the fact that he was appointed on a commission to investigate the need for the revision of the national statutes and to prepare a plan for this purpose. Asser married a Christian, but he remained in touch with the Jewish community and continued to display an interest in his coreligionists.

Among Asser's works are: His doctor's dissertation, "De Telegraphie en hare regtsgevolgen," 1866 (awarded a gold medal by the Gröningen University); "Wetenschap en Wetgeving," 1892; and "Handleiding tot de beoefening van het Nederlandsch Burgerlijk Recht," an unfinished work on civil law. He also contributed to periodicals many technical articles of legal interest. Asser was not only known as a scholar and writer, but also as a musician.

Bibliography:

  * Students' Almanak, Leyden, 1900.



S. J. Vr.