Ludwig von Westphalen

Johann Ludwig von Westphalen (11 July 1770 – 3 March 1842) was a liberal Prussian civil servant and the father-in-law of Karl Marx.

Biography

Early life Johann Ludwig von Westphalen was born on 11 July 1770 in Bornum am Elm. He was the youngest son of Philipp von Westphalen (1724–92), who himself was the son of a Blankenburg postmaster. Philipp von Westphalen had been ennobled in 1764 with the predicate Edler von Westphalen by Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick for his military services. He had served as the duke's de facto "chief of staff" during the Seven Years' War. Through his mother, Jane Wishart of Pittarrow, he was the descendant of many Scottish and European noble families.

He received extensive education and spoke German and English, and read Latin, Greek, Italian, French and Spanish. In 1797 he married Elisabeth von Veltheim, who bore him four children. In 1842, Marx was present at the deathbed of Ludwig von Westphalen. Jenny and Karl became married in 1843, a year after Ludwig's death.

He was the father of Ferdinand von Westphalen, a conservative and reactionary Prussian Minister of the Interior.

Death He died on 3 March 1842 in Trier.