Johann Jakob Meyer (politician)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johann Jakob Meyer (born October 29, 1763 in Zurich ; † January 17, 1819 there ) was a Swiss officer and politician.

Life

Johann Jakob Meyer was born as the fourth son of the silk manufacturer and district captain Heinrich Meyer (1732–1814) and his wife Regula (1732–1812), daughter of the district captain Hans Caspar Landolt (1701–1760). His brothers were:

  • Heinrich Meyer-Hirzel (1755–1828), silk ribbon manufacturer
  • Melchior Meyer-Bürkli (1756–1836), captain and landowner at Schwandegg Castle
  • Hans Meyer-Nüscheler (1757–1831), captain of the cavalry
  • Johann Meyer-Escher vom Glas, (born March 10, 1768 Zurich, † March 8, 1845 ibid), silk ribbon manufacturer

After attending school, he attended the Zurich Art School and, after its completion in June 1780, traveled to Geneva for an interest in foreign languages ​​and for commercial training . From there he drove to Genoa in the spring of 1782 and on to Florence in 1784 . In September 1784 he returned to Zurich and joined his father's trading and manufacturing company. In 1786 he went on a business trip to Spain and Portugal , and returned home the following year via France .

In 1792, as major , he led a department of Zurich militia forces in the city of Geneva, which was threatened by the French. In 1798 he was sent to the French to the canton border to come to an understanding with them for a surrender from Zurich. In the following year he negotiated with the Austrians who had meanwhile driven out the French in the First Battle of Zurich . Then he took over command of a battalion of volunteers from Zurich, who were in British pay, and fought in the Second Battle of Zurich with the French who had defeated the Russians there and replaced the Austrians. After the French occupation of Zurich, he fled to Lindau , from there to Memmingen and then to Tübingen ; His wife and mother of seven children died there in February 1800.

In October 1800 he was able to return to Zurich and in 1802 defended the city against the Helvetian troops as city governor. A provisional government was then formed in Zurich and Johann Jakob Meyer was elected a member on September 22nd and was responsible for the organization of the military and police facilities. On October 23, 1802, he was promoted to colonel by the Diet , which was assembled in Schwyz , and on April 18, 1803, he was a member of the Grand Council , to which he belonged until his death, after he was again in December 1814 after the constitutional amendment was chosen.

After the French defeat at Leipzig on December 23, 1813, the Napoleonic order in Switzerland collapsed. In view of the situation, the canton of Zurich was assigned the position of a suburb by the Swiss Federal Diet and in this context Meyer led a brigade of three Zurich reserve battalions to the national border, during which he fought a revolt by part of the federal troops.

On February 8, 1816, he took over the position of the upper bailiff in Grüningen and entered his place on 4 June of the same year, was attached to it, the presidency of the district court in Grüningen.

Johann Jakob Meyer was married to Susanna (1770–1800), a daughter of the businessman Jakob Christoph Meyer. They had nine children together, three of whom died in childhood and two in adolescence. In particular, the following are known:

Between 1805 and 1809 he owned the knight's house in Bubikon , where he set up a mechanical cotton spinning mill in Kämmoos . He had been a member of the Schildner zum Schneggen Society since February 13, 1804 .

Fonts (selection)

literature

personal data
SURNAME Meyer, Johann Jakob
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss officer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH October 29, 1763
PLACE OF BIRTH Zurich
DATE OF DEATH January 17, 1819
Place of death Zurich