Johann Rudolf Tschiffeli
Encyclopedia
Johann Rudolf Tschiffeli (16 December 1716 - 15 January 1780) was a Swiss agronomist
who founded the Economic Society of Berne in 1758. He was a wealthy merchant, economist and lawyer.
Johann Rudolph Tschiffeli was born in Bern in 1716, in a patrician family. He spent muh of his youth in Rheineck
. His father, also named Johann Rudolpf Tschiffeli (1688 - 1747), was at first the General Secretary of Canton of St. Gallen
and from 1734 on the Landvogt
of Bern, when the family moved to Wangen an der Aare
. After the death of his parents, Tschiffeli took over the care of his four younger siblings, and of his own household. In 1755 he became clerk at the superior marriage court, which position meant a steady income. He occupied this post until his death.
In 1758, Tschiffeli formed the Economic Society ("Ökonomischen Gesellschaft"), which was influential beyond the Swiss borders. Albrecht von Haller
was at one time the scretary and president of it, and in its long history it had contact with people like Carl Linnaeus, Voltaire
, Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau
, Jean-Marie Roland, vicomte de la Platière
, Gaetano Filangieri
, and Arthur Young. Members included Niklaus Emanuel Tscharner and Vincenz Bernhard Tscharner. Activities decreased around 1800, but the society was restarted in 1838 and still exists in 2011.
Tschiffeli was also an agricultural reformer, and he owned two farms, one at Kirchberg and one at Moosseedorf
. He trained educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
in agriculture in 1767 and 1768. Tschiffeli was a member of the Helvetic Society
.
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
who founded the Economic Society of Berne in 1758. He was a wealthy merchant, economist and lawyer.
Johann Rudolph Tschiffeli was born in Bern in 1716, in a patrician family. He spent muh of his youth in Rheineck
Rheineck
Rheineck is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-History:Rheineck is first mentioned about 1163 as castellum Rinegge. In 1218 it was mentioned as Rinegg...
. His father, also named Johann Rudolpf Tschiffeli (1688 - 1747), was at first the General Secretary of Canton of St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
and from 1734 on the Landvogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
of Bern, when the family moved to Wangen an der Aare
Wangen an der Aare
Wangen an der Aare is a municipality in the Oberaargau administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.This small town lies between Olten and Solothurn in rural surroundings on the Aare, a major river of the west-central lowland region of Switzerland, the Mittelland. An ancient wooden...
. After the death of his parents, Tschiffeli took over the care of his four younger siblings, and of his own household. In 1755 he became clerk at the superior marriage court, which position meant a steady income. He occupied this post until his death.
In 1758, Tschiffeli formed the Economic Society ("Ökonomischen Gesellschaft"), which was influential beyond the Swiss borders. Albrecht von Haller
Albrecht von Haller
Albrecht von Haller was a Swiss anatomist, physiologist, naturalist and poet.-Early life:He was born of an old Swiss family at Bern. Prevented by long-continued ill-health from taking part in boyish sports, he had the more opportunity for the development of his precocious mind...
was at one time the scretary and president of it, and in its long history it had contact with people like Carl Linnaeus, Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
, Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau
Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau
Victor de Riquetti, marquis de Mirabeau was a French economist of the Physiocratic school. He was the father of great Honoré, Comte de Mirabeau and is, in distinction, often referred to as the elder Mirabeau....
, Jean-Marie Roland, vicomte de la Platière
Jean-Marie Roland, vicomte de la Platière
Jean-Marie Roland, de la Platière was a French manufacturer in Lyon and became the leader of the Girondist faction in the French Revolution, largely influenced in this direction by his wife, Marie-Jeanne "Manon" Roland de la Platiere...
, Gaetano Filangieri
Gaetano Filangieri
Gaetano Filangieri , Italian jurist and philosopher, was born in San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, a country near Naples....
, and Arthur Young. Members included Niklaus Emanuel Tscharner and Vincenz Bernhard Tscharner. Activities decreased around 1800, but the society was restarted in 1838 and still exists in 2011.
Tschiffeli was also an agricultural reformer, and he owned two farms, one at Kirchberg and one at Moosseedorf
Moosseedorf
Moosseedorf is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The village is located south of Moossee, the lake that gives it its name.-History:...
. He trained educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach....
in agriculture in 1767 and 1768. Tschiffeli was a member of the Helvetic Society
Helvetic Society
The Helvetische Gesellschaft / Société Helvétique, or Helvetic Society as it is known in English, was a patriotic society and the first Swiss reform society. It was founded by Swiss philosopher Isaak Iselin, poet Solomon Gessner and some 20 others on 15 May 1762, and was dissolved with the...
.
Further reading
- Lebensgeschichte Herrn Johann Rudolf Tschiffeli, Stifter der ökonomischen Gesellschaft in Bern, by Sigmund Wagner von Bern, Stäpfli, 1808
- Johann Rudolf Tschiffeli, 1716-1780: ein Patriot und Menschenfreund, by Hermann Wahlen, A. Francke, 1940
- Allgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche Biographie is one of the most important and most comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language....
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