Ernst Schleiermacher

Ernst Schleiermacher (born January 18, 1755 in Alsfeld , † April 20, 1844 in Darmstadt ) was a German scientist and museum director .

Life

Ernst Christian Friedrich Adam Schleiermacher was the son of Carl Schleiermacher (1710–1781) and his wife Sophia geb. Gerhard. Ernst came to Darmstadt at the age of ten because his father became a personal physician at the court of the Landgrave of Hesse in Darmstadt. Schleiermacher visited the Darmstadt pedagogue and studied law in Gießen from 1775 and then in Göttingen . He was in contact with Johann Heinrich Merck and Christoph Lichtenberg , who had been in Göttingen since 1770.

Before completing his studies, he was appointed cabinet secretary to the Hereditary Prince Ludwig X, later Grand Duke Ludwig I , in 1779 and returned to Darmstadt. In this function he played a key role in building up the art and natural objects collections in Darmstadt and was their first director until 1835. He systematically and significantly expanded the collections of the Landgrave and Grand Duke, which were initially housed in different parts of the Darmstadt Palace.

Schleiermacher was married to Henriette von Hesse (1764–1800) since 1784. From the marriage u. a. the children Ludwig Schleiermacher (1785–1844) and Andreas August Ernst (1787–1858).

Ernst Schleiermacher was buried in the old cemetery in Darmstadt (grave site: I wall 152).

Honors

• Honorary doctorate from the University of Giessen
• 1821: Privy Council of State
• 1830: Real Privy Council

literature

• Alexander Brill: Life and Work of Cabinet Secretary Ernst Schleiermacher in Darmstadt , in Mercksche Familienzeitschrift 20/1960, pp. 108–115
• Arthur Wyß:  Schleiermacher, Ernst . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 31, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1890, p. 421 f.
• Article Ernst Christian Friedrich Adam Schleiermacher in: Darmstädter Stadtlexikon , Stuttgart 2006, p. 784f.