Ernst Ludwig Carl

Ernst Ludwig Carl (born February 6, 1682 in Öhringen , Hohenlohe , † July 11, 1742 in Vienna ) was a German economist and politician.

Carl began to study theology with August Hermann Francke at the University of Halle in 1699 . In the following year he switched to Christian Thomasius and studied law with him. In 1706 Carl successfully completed his studies.

In 1708 Carl entered the service of the Franconian Princely House of Hohenzollern and became secretary in their administration. In 1712 he was promoted to the secret council in Ansbach and as such an assessor at the imperial district court in Nuremberg . Between 1720 and 1734, Carl worked in Paris as an agent and representative of the House of Oettingen and also of some south German bankers. During this time, Carl became increasingly involved in economic issues and published his studies in book form. With these theories , Carl is still considered, among other things, the predecessor of François Quesnay .

In 1734 Carl returned to Ansbach, but never got another job. Through his contacts from Paris, he was brought to Vienna by Prince Eugene , whom he served as an administrative specialist until his death in 1736.

Up to his death on July 11, 1742, Carl led various lawsuits against his former employers - albeit unsuccessfully - for whom he had advanced large sums in Paris and never got them back.

Works (selection)

• Traité de la richesse des princes et de leurs états: et des moyens simples et naturels pour y parvenir . 3 parts. Paris 1722-1723.

literature

• Friedrich Hoffmann: On the history of the position of the division of labor in the economic teaching system. In: World Economic Archive. 60 (1944 II), pp. 23-51.
• Anton Tautscher: Ernst Ludwig Carl (1682 - 1743), the founder of economics . G. Fischer, Jena 1939, DNB 576642711 .
• Anton Tautscher:  Carl, Ernst Ludwig. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 3, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1957, ISBN 3-428-00184-2 , p. 139 ( digitized version ).