Johann Georg Ritter

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Johann Georg Ritter (* 1772 ; † 23 August 1840 near Lancaster , Ohio ) was a German-American printer and bookseller.

Title page of a Ritter print from 1828 in Philadelphia

Life

After the book printer Benedikt Weeber in Schwäbisch Gmünd had to transfer his business to his main creditor Katharina Barbara Ritter due to economic difficulties in 1791, her son Johann Georg, a trained book printer, continued to run the press. At the beginning of 1792, the weekly newspaper founded by Weeber in 1786 (today's Rems-Zeitung ) appeared under the title Reichsstadt Gemündische Nachrichten . In the only surviving edition of February 2, 1793, there is a detailed account of the execution of the French King Louis XVI. reported that had taken place on January 21st.

The most important publication in his time in Gmünd was Johann Gottfried Pahls Nationalchronik der Teutschen , a political journal that appeared from 1801 (from 1807 to 1809 it was called Chronik der Teutschen ). It was banned in 1809 by King Friedrich I of Württemberg. From around 1804 on, Ritter relocated some of his activities to Ellwangen , where he was appointed printer of the law firm. In 1813 he moved to Ellwangen. Ritter printed Catholic religious literature in Gmünd and Ellwangen, including the sermons of Thomas Vogt , but also works on regional studies by David Friedrich Cleß, Joseph Alois Rink (especially the oldest printed Gmünd city history 1802) and Heinrich Prescher . In 1819 Justinus Kerner also published the poems of the linen weaver Johannes Lämmerer in Gmünd at Ritter's.

Although his business was not bad, the political repression of all libertarian efforts in Germany was unbearable for Ritter. So he decided to emigrate to the USA with his family . He published his departure in Pahl's New National Chronicle of the Teutschen on March 27, 1824. In December 1824, he arrived in Philadelphia with a complete printing facility and a large supply of books. He mainly printed and sold Bibles, spiritual works, postils and school books. From 1825 to 1829 he published the twice-weekly magazine The American Correspondent . The advertisement of the new journal in the Allgemeine Repertorium der Literatur 1826 noted that Ritter had also set up a "German-European forwarding and commissioning office". Ritter sold the magazine to Johann Carl Gossler in 1829.

Ritter chose the motto of the American correspondent: “O freedom! fought for with the sword of fame, whoever is not happy with you! "

On a trip to Ohio in 1840, Ritter died in an accident near Lancaster.

Ritter must not be confused with the publisher of the Reading Eagle , John Ritter (1779–1851), who was associated with Friedrich List .

literature

  • Heinrich Rattermann : A pioneer of journalism in the United States: Johann Georg Ritter. In: The German Pioneer . 16, 1885, pp. 468-474 ( online ). Again in: Heinrich Rattermann: German-American biography and poet album of the first half of the 19th century . Cincinnati 1911, pp. 171-180 ( online ).
  • Rudolf Weser : Alte Gmünder XIII. The oldest book printer in Gmünd . In: Rems-Zeitung of August 21, 1911 Commons .

Web links

Wikisource: Johann Georg Ritter  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Article Rems-Zeitung without citing the source.
  2. ^ Johann Gottfried Pahl: Printer Johann Georg Ritter from Gmünd. Ludwig Friedrich Fues, Tübingen 1840, section The second period of life in Neubronn - 1801–1808 , p. 188 f. (Pahl reports on the collaboration in his memoirs, see Wikisource ).
  3. ^ So Rudolf Reinhardt, Tübinger Theologen und their Theologie, Tübingen 1977, p. 357
  4. ^ Wikisource
  5. ^ Johann Gottfried Pahl: New national chronicle of the Teutschen. Ritter, 1824, col. 203-204 ( limited preview in Google book search).
  6. ^ German-American history sheets. Vol. 7, 1907, p. 23. The emigration probably already took place in May 1824, see General repertory of literature. Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung, 1826, p. 380 ( digitized in the Google book search).
  7. ^ Proceedings and Addresses. Volumes 18-19, Pennsylvania-German Society, 1909, p. 32 ( limited preview in Google Book Search - USA ).
  8. ^ Gustav Körner: The German element in the United States of North America 1818-1848. Cincinnati 1880, p. 31 f.
  9. ↑ Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung: General repertory of literature. Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung, 1826, p. 456 ( digitized in the Google book search).
  10. ↑ So the detailed advertisement (with programmatic texts of Ritter) in: Politisches Journal with advertisement of learned and other things. 1825, pp. 357–362 ( limited preview in Google book search). One of the authors was Ritter's friend Eduard Poeppig, see: Friedrich Ratzel:  Poeppig, Eduard . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 26, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1888, pp. 421-427.
  11. ^ Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia . 20, No. 1909, p. 109
  12. ↑ On this Johan Ritter see Russell D. Earnest, Corinne P. Earnest: Flying leaves and one-sheets: Pennsylvania German broadsides, Fraktur, and their printers. New Castle 2004, p. 294.
personal data
SURNAME Ritter, Johann Georg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-American book printer and bookseller
DATE OF BIRTH 1772
DATE OF DEATH August 23, 1840
Place of death Lancaster , Ohio, USA