Johann Gottfried Frey
Johann Gottfried Frey (born March 28, 1762 in Königsberg i. Pr. , † April 25, 1831 ibid) was a German civil servant in Prussia. The foundations of the Prussian city order from 1808 come from him.
Life
His father Georg Andreas Frey (1724–1770) was master of the river in Königsberg. His mother was Elisabeth Juliane nee Heister . At the age of 16, Frey moved from high school to Albertus University in Königsberg . There he studied law but also dealt intensively with other subjects. He was strongly influenced by the philosophy of Kant . He was the philosopher's friend and at times table companion. But the teachings of Adam Smith imparted by Christian Jakob Kraus were also of great importance for Frey. Nevertheless, he attached great importance to state action.
In 1785 he joined the city administration of Königsberg. There he registered numerous structural weaknesses and made unsuccessful suggestions for changes. From 1801 he was a paid city councilor and police inspector. He was also a deputy member of the War and Domain Chamber for East Prussia. So he belonged not only to the municipal, but also to the state administration. At the beginning of the war of 1809 he was the police director and deputy president of the city.
Frey gained historical importance as an employee of Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein in his city ordinance of 1808 (see also city ordinance # magistrate constitution ). During his time in Königsberg, vom Stein lived in the Frey house. Frey asked a memorandum on the subject based on Kant and his answer to the question: What is Enlightenment? preceded by the motto: "Confidence ennobles people, eternal guardianship hinders its maturation." Frey endeavored to dismantle state tutelage and at the same time to take action against the bourgeoisie 's distancing from the state by enabling participation.
Frey was an opponent of the French Revolution , but partly oriented himself to its legislation. Various influences combined with him to form his own concept. Based on antiquity , urban self-government should be in the hands of the educated classes.
From 1809 Frey was director in various departments of the East Prussian government (judicial authority) . He did his best in the wars of liberation (starting from East Prussia) for the hospital system in Königsberg. In 1826 he resigned from the service.
He was a member of the Masonic lodge to the three crowns in Königsberg and at times their master from the chair .
family
In 1791 he married Caroline Luise Schlee (1774–1814), a daughter of Johann Gottlieb Schlee , President of the Maritime Trade in Berlin. The couple had two sons and four daughters, including Franziska Natalie (* 1801; † May 20, 1838) who married the Prussian minister Alfred von Auerswald .
Honors
- Iron Cross on a White Ribbon (1814)
- Dr. phil. hc of the Albertus University of Königsberg (1817)
literature
- Siegfried A. Kaehler : Frey, Johann Gottfried. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 5, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1961, ISBN 3-428-00186-9 , p. 416 ( digitized version ).
- Hermann von Petersdorff : Frey, Johann Gottfried . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 48, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1904, pp. 744-747.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Frey, Johann Gottfried |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German administrative lawyer in Prussia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 28, 1762 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Koenigsberg i. Pr. |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 25, 1831 |
| Place of death | Koenigsberg i. Pr. |