 franz hermann schulze-delitzsch (29 august 1808 â 29 april 1883) was a german economist. he was responsible for the organizing of the world's first credit unions. ==history== schulze-delitzsch was born at delitzsch, in saxony. he studied law at leipzig and halle universities and, when thirty, he became an assessor in the court of justice at berlin, and three years later was appointed patrimonial-richter at delitzsch. entering the parliament of 1848, he joined the left centre. at this time, his surname was expanded from schulze to schulze-delitzsch: the name of his birthplace was appended to his surname to distinguish him from other schulzes in the prussian national assembly. acting as president of the commission of inquiry into the condition of the labourers and artisans, he became impressed with the necessity of co-operation to enable the smaller trades-people to hold their own against the capitalists.. thumb|left|german stamp commemorating schulze's 200th birthday he was a member of the second chamber in 1848-1849; but as matters ceased to run smoothly between himself and the high legal officials, he gave up his public appointments in october 1851, and withdrew to delitzsch. here he devoted himself to the organization and development of co-operation in germany, and to the foundation of vorschussvereine (peoples' banks), of which he had established the first at delitzsch in 1850. these developed so rapidly that schulze-delitzsch in 1858, in die arbeitenden klassen und das assoziationswesen in deutschland, enumerated twenty-five as already in existence. in these banks, the subscribers made small deposits, obtaining proportional credit and dividends. the management was vested in a board composed of subscribers.. thumb|memorial for schulze-delitzsch in downtown berlin in 1859 the more than 200 such banks were centrally organized under the direction of schulze-delitzsch. he promoted the first genossenschaftstag, a co-operative meeting, in weimar, and founded a central bureau of co-operative societies. in 1861 he again entered the prussian chamber, and became a prominent member of the progressist party. in 1863 he devoted the chief porti
1808_births 1883_deaths Cooperative_organisers German_economists Members_of_the_Reichstag_of_the_German_Empire