Johann Stephan Pütter

Johann Stephan Putter ( born June 25, 1725 in Iserlohn, † August 12, 1807 in Göttingen ) was a German constitutional lawyer and publicist in the Age of Enlightenment.

Life

Johann Stephan Putter was born the son of a merchant, Iserlohn, his mother came from the Iserlohn pastor's family Varnhagen. He received his education exclusively by a local pastor as a private tutor. By this he not only learned Latin and Greek, but also Hebrew, Chaldean and Syriac. Therefore, he would almost become Orientalist until prompted him of the death of his father to continue the legal tradition of parts of the family.

Pütter began his studies with barely 13 years, first at the University of Marburg, among others, at the reconnaissance Christian Wolff, moved in 1739 to the University of Halle ( where he graduated with Gottfried Achenwall friendship) and finished his law studies at the University of Jena. 1744 he completed his habilitation in Marburg, in 1746 he was appointed as associate professor of law at the University of Göttingen, where he remained, despite several further calls to its end of life, not least because he there the advocacy and protecting hand of his patron David George Strube enjoyed. Even offers to go as minister to Brunswick, as Reichshofrat to Vienna or as a reformer of the legal system to St. Petersburg, hit Pütter from. Three times, however, he was in 1764, 1790 and 1794 as an envoy of the Elector of Hanover (then in personal union king of England). Elections for the Emperor in Frankfurt

Pütter married in 1751 a daughter of the princely Solmsischen receding stick to Braunfels. He was ( as Achenwall see above ) a member of the Masonic lodge founded in 1743 " to drey lion " in Marburg.

The Pütterstraße in the city center of Iserlohn memory of the great son of the city.

Work

In legal practice, Pütter made ​​as a defender in a trial of a Hessian officer a name that had killed one of his subordinates in self-defense. In these and other imperial court cases he has been a sought legal representative mainly aristocratic circles.

" His time was Pütter as probably the most important and most successful teachers of constitutional law, if not a teacher of law at all. (...) By Pütter Göttingen was the Mecca of the adepts of public and constitutional law. " He is considered one of the most important representatives of the old Empire state law. Pütters widespread manuals have taken the view spread that the Holy Roman Empire was composed of real states. His writings on legal and constitutional history, however, also make him the first real constitutional historian. Significant writings Pütters include his draft of a legal encyclopedia and methodology, the report examined the books emphasis upon genuine principles of law and Historical development of the present State Constitution of Germans Empire. Pütters Elementa iuris naturae contribution to 1750 can be considered low and from the third edition of this work was continued only by Achenwall.

His knowledge was referring Pütter not only from the literature, but he made - as with significant constitutional lawyers of his time usual - an extended study trip to the Imperial Chamber Court in Wetzlar, to the Reichstag in Regensburg and Reichshofrat in Vienna. His lectures were the most visited, his textbooks were sought and achieved high volume. His most famous work, The Development of the German constitution he wrote on behalf of the Queen of England. Some historians believe that only through him was state law to a science. He was also one of the first who used instead of the usual Latin German as a language of instruction. Its clear and lively presentation style was praised by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in book 7 of poetry and truth.

Important at work Pütters was that he also recognized next to the Roman law, the Germanic law again pleaded for a separate constitutional and administrative law. In contrast to the previously comprehensive police term, Putter has separated the welfare system as a separate administrative area. Some of his theories were incorporated in the Prussian General Land Law. Beyond the legal issues, he is regarded as the one that in 1776 the term " Counter-Reformation " coined.

Writings (selection )

• "Complete Handbook of German Empire History ", Göttingen, 1762 (2nd edition 1772).
• " Literature of the Teutonic state law ", Göttingen, 1776-1783 ( 3 volumes), Volume 3 ( digitized in the Google Book Search ).
• "Historical development of the present constitution of the German Reich ", Göttingen, 1786-87, (3 vols ), ( 3rd edition 1798). Vol 1: Until 1558 Vandenhoeck, Göttingen 1786 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive ). .
• Volume 2: From 1558 to 1740 Vandenhoeck, Göttingen 1786 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive ). .
• Vol 3: From 1740 to 1786 Vandenhoeck, Göttingen 1787 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive ). .

• German translation in 1791 under the title: How to Teutonic state rights