Christian Eckhardt (geodesist)

Christian Philipp Leonhard Eckhardt (born July 1, 1784 in Dauernheim , † December 20, 1866 in Darmstadt ) was a German geodesist .

Origin and education

Christian Philipp Leonhard Eckhardt was born in 1784 as the son of pastor Johann Eckardt and his wife Karoline Friederike, née. Heil was born in Dauernheim near Friedberg (Hessen) . After his father's early death in 1794, he came to live with his grandfather in Büdingen. From 1802 he first studied law at the State University in Giessen . Through contact with the military cartographer Johann Heinrich Haas (1758–1810) he was confronted with geodetic issues. From 1804 Eckardt undertook the first survey attempts. In 1808, together with his friend Ludwig Schleiermacher , he determined the route between the tower of the Darmstadt city church and the church in Griesheim. This became known as the "Darmstadt base".

Act

In 1809 he worked for a short time at the Mannheim observatory . In the autumn of 1809 Christian Eckhardt became director of the land registry in Arnsberg , then a Hessian province, today: Westphalia . In August 1812 he was appointed a councilor.

As a member of the Oberfinanzkammer, newly established in 1821, Christian Eckhardt was responsible for the introduction of a nationwide uniform tax system in the Ministry of Finance, founded in 1830. He was responsible for forestry, construction and subsequently for the railways. He drafted a plan for the road network of the Grand Duchy and signed state treaties for the construction of railways.

Christian Eckhardt was also a founding member and first president of the trade association for the Grand Duchy of Hesse in 1836 and is considered the initiator of the first industrial exhibition in Darmstadt. From 1843 to 1848 he was entrusted with the management of the construction of the Main-Neckar Railway in Hesse . In 1848 he retired as a Privy Councilor but became director of the national debt repayment fund and since 1853 government commissioner at the bank for trade and industry .

Private

Christian Eckhardt was married to Friederike Louise Lichthammer (1793–1841) for the first time since 1810. The marriage resulted in four daughters and one son. In his second marriage from 1853 he was married to Luise Johannette Lichthammer (1823-1893).

Christian Eckhardt is buried in the old cemetery in Darmstadt. His grave is listed as the honor grave of the city of Darmstadt.

Honors

• 1834: Dr. phil hc from the University of Giessen
• 1842: Commander's Cross 2nd class of the Ludewig Order
• 1845: Commander's Cross 1st Class of the Kurhessischer Order of the Golden Lion
• 1859: Commander's Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of Philip the Magnanimous
• 1861: Commander's Cross 1st Class of the Order of Ludewig

A street in the Martinsviertel in Darmstadt has been named after him since 1903.

literature

• Moritz Cantor :  Eckhardt, Christian Leonhard Philipp . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 5, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, p. 617.
• City of Science Darmstadt (Ed.): Darmstädter Ehrengräber. Biographies and Reviews. Darmstadt 2016, pp. 51–53.

Web links

• Eckhardt, Christian Philipp Leonhard. Hessian biography. (As of January 10, 2020). In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS).