Christoph Anton Burmester

Christoph Anton Burmester (* 15. June 1762 in Lütjenburg , Holstein; † 19th January 1838 in Oldenburg ) was a Grand Duchy of Oldenburg shear Privy Councilor and reeve to Jever and Oldenburg.

Life

Burmester was the son of the master weaver Joachim Hinrich Burmester (1727–1797) and Christina Magdelena born. Schultz (1724-1803). He attended school in his hometown. There teachers became aware of his talent and wealthy relatives enabled him to continue his education. He then attended high school in Altona and then studied theology at Kiel University . After the main theological exam, as he was unable to preach in large churches due to his poor health, he decided to change his profession and began studying mathematics at the University of Copenhagen . He was particularly concerned with hydraulic engineering and dyke construction and was able to gain first practical experience in this area on inspection trips to Danish dykes in 1792. During his studies in Copenhagen he also made extensive contacts with various hydraulic engineering directors and professors in Hamburg . One of these professors, Johann Georg Büsch , recommended him when Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig von Oldenburg was looking for a new dikemaster. He took up this position in 1793 with the rank of chamber assessor. In 1809, Burmester was promoted to chamber council and, at the express request of the duke, remained in office after the French occupation in order to prevent the vital dikes from being neglected. In 1829 he was given the title of Councilor of Justice and in 1834 was awarded the coveted title of Privy Councilor. During his service, he made a significant contribution to the technical and administrative redesign of the Oldenburg dyke system and a modern foundation.

further activities

Burmester had already become a Freemason in Kiel in 1785 and, after moving to Oldenburg, joined the lodge Zum golden Hirsch . From 1783 he was also a member of the Literary Society founded by Gerhard Anton von Halem and in 1818 was one of the founders of the Oldenburg Agricultural Society , of which he was first chairman from 1818 to 1832.

After 44 years of work as a dikemaster, Burmester died of exhaustion at the age of 75.

family

Burmester married on August 30, 1793 in Preetz Augusta Sophia Ackermann (1769-1849), the daughter of a Lütjenburg pharmacist. The marriage resulted in three sons and five daughters.

literature

• Christoph Anton Burmester. In: Hans Friedl u. a. (Ed.): Biographical manual for the history of the state of Oldenburg . Edited on behalf of the Oldenburg landscape. Isensee, Oldenburg 1992, ISBN 3-89442-135-5 , pp. 111-112 ( online ).
• Friedrich August Schmidt, Bernhard, New Nekrolog der Deutschen . 1838, part 1, p. 101ff, digitized