Johann Friedrich von Recke

Johann Friedrich von Recke (1 August 176413 September 1846) was a senior public official in the Baltic Germans Duchy of Courland. He is remembered now, primarily, for his activities as an antiquarian and collector.

Following his withdrawal from government service he became the co-compiler of the General Writers and Scholars Lexicon of the provinces of Latvia, Estonia and Courland (Allgemeine Schriftsteller- und Gelehrten-Lexikon der Provinzen Livland, Esthland und Kurland).

Life Provenance and education Johann Friedrich von Recke was born in Mitau, the capital of the Duchy of Courland, which by the time of his death had been incorporated into Russia. Today (2015) Mitau is in Latvia.

Recke's father was a merchant, and for some time the city mayor. His father died around the time he was eight, however. From 1774 till 1779 he attended the city's main school, which at that time was under the joint headship of K. A. Kütner and Johann Heinrich Kant whose brother, After his university years he crowned his formal education with a tour of Europe, with extended stays in Berlin, Paris and Leipzig. Johann von Recke returned to Mitau during 1785.

Public service In Mitau he was sponsored for a position in public service by Duke Peter of Courland. Between 1787 and 1788 von Recke worked for the duchy's Archive and Administration secretary (Archiv- und Lehnsekretär), then taking over the office himself in 1788. He retained the post till 1795 when Duke Peter was persuaded to agree to the incorporation of the Duchy of Courland into Russia, as a little noticed (in English language sources) concomitant of the Third Partition of Poland. On 28 January 1796 he was appointed secretary to the Courland Governorate. Further promotion, to the post of "Kameralhofsrath", followed in 1801. he produced the first of what would be several volumes of the General Writers and Scholars Lexicon of the provinces of Latvia, Estonia and Courland (Allgemeine Schriftsteller- und Gelehrten-Lexikon der Provinzen Livland, Esthland und Kurland).