HUGO

hugo, gustav von (1764-1844), german jurist, was born at lorrach in baden, on the 23rd of november 1764. from the gymnasium at carlsruhe he passed in 1782 to the university of gottingen, where he studied law for three years. having received the appointment of tutor to the prince of anhalt-dessau, he took his doctor's degree at the university of halle in 1788. recalled in this year to gottingen as extraordinary professor of law, he became ordinary professor in 1792. in the preface to his _beitrage zur zivilistischen bucherkenntnis der letzten vierzig jahre_ (1828-1829) he gives a sketch of the condition of the civil law teaching at gottingen at that time. the roman canon and german elements of the existing law were, without criticism or differentiation, welded into an ostensible whole for practical needs, with the result that it was difficult to say whether historical truth or practical ends were most prejudiced. one man handed on the inert mass to the next in the same condition as he had received it, new errors crept in, and even the best of teachers could not escape from the false method which had become traditional. these were the evils which hugo set himself to combat, and he became the founder of that historical school of jurisprudence which was continued and further developed by savigny. his _magna opera_ are the _lehrbuch eines zivilistischen kursus_ (7 vols., 1792-1821), in which his method is thoroughly worked out, and the _zivilistisches magazin_ (6 vols., 1790-1837). he died at gottingen on the 15th of september 1844. for an account of his life see eyssenhardt, _zur erinnerung an gustav hugo_ (berlin, 1845).