Johann Caspar Goethe

Johann Caspar Goethe (29 July 1710 – 25 May 1782) was a wealthy German jurist and royal councillor to the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire. His son, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is considered one of the greatest German poets and authors of all time. Biography Johann Caspar Goethe was born in Frankfurt in 1710 as the youngest son of Friedrich Georg Goethe (1657—1730) and Cornelia Walther (1668—1754). Between 1725 and 1730, Goethe attended the Casimirianum gynmnasium in Coburg, after which he studied law, first in Giessen and for four years from 1731 in Leipzig. In 1738, he was awarded a doctorate of both laws in Giessen. Goethe then worked at the Reichskammergericht in Wetzlar. He became acquainted with the workings of the Perpetual Diet in Regensburg as well as the Aulic Council in Vienna, both important institutions of the Holy Roman Empire. Around 1740, Goethe undertook an educational tour of Italy about which he wrote a travel book in Italian titled "Viaggo per l'Italia" ("My Journey Through Italy" in English), in which he detailed the cities, buildings and objects he encountered on his travels. At the end of 1741, Goethe returned to his native Frankfurt, where he had owned two adjoining timber houses with his mother since 1733. He aspired to political office in Frankfurt, but was denied because his half-brother Hermann Jakob Goethe was already a member of the council, and direct relatives were barred from holding office in the same city council. In May 1742, Goethe paid 300 Guilder for the title of "Imperial Councillor" under Karl VII, who had lived in Frankfurt for much of his reign. The Kaiser held Goethe in high esteem, but died in 1745, leaving Goethe unable to pursue his desired career as an imperial diplomat.