Theodore Erasmus Hilgard
Encyclopedia
Theodore Erasmus Hilgard (7 July 1790 Marnheim
- 14 February 1873 Heidelberg
) was a lawyer
, viticulturalist and Latin farmer.
in a family very sympathetic to the principles of the French revolution
. He studied at the Universities of Heidelberg (1807), Göttingen (1808-9) and Paris
(1810), and took a legal course in Coblenz (1811). During the time of the French rule, he practiced law in Trèves
, and, on the restoration of the Rhine Province
to Germany, settled in Zweibrücken
, where he held the appointment of associate justice of the court of appeals from 1821 till 1835. He was also a member of the provincial assembly from 1821 till 1826. He resigned as justice because of reactionary and bureaucratic policies instituted by the Bavaria
n government in the administration of justice in the Palatinate. In 1816, he married Margarethe Pauli.
. He purchased a farm near Belleville
, and besides its general management gave much attention to viticulture, being the first to introduce it in Illinois. At first he tried to discover which of the Rhenish or French vines were best adapted to the climate, but soon found the indigenous Catawba grape most suitable, and he produced a wine that acquired a high local reputation.
The town of West Belleville, which gradually surrounded his original homestead, was laid out on his property and under his direction. He profitably sold a large part of his land as house lots. Meanwhile he gave special attention to the education of his children, whom he instructed personally in mathematics, languages and philosophy.-
, and devoted a portion of his leisure to making translations of ancient and modern poems into German, some of which were published and received with high commendation, notably Ovid
's Metamorphoses and “The Fire-Worshipers” from Thomas Moore
's Lalla Rookh. Besides numerous legal and historical articles and minor poems contributed to American and European periodicals, he published:
He was a granduncle of United States journalist and financier Henry Villard
.
Marnheim
Marnheim is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
- 14 February 1873 Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
) was a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, viticulturalist and Latin farmer.
Europe
He grew up during the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
in a family very sympathetic to the principles of the French revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. He studied at the Universities of Heidelberg (1807), Göttingen (1808-9) and Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
(1810), and took a legal course in Coblenz (1811). During the time of the French rule, he practiced law in Trèves
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
, and, on the restoration of the Rhine Province
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...
to Germany, settled in Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river.- Name :Zweibrücken appears in Latin texts as Geminus Pons and Bipontum, in French texts as Deux-Ponts. The name derives from Middle High German Zweinbrücken...
, where he held the appointment of associate justice of the court of appeals from 1821 till 1835. He was also a member of the provincial assembly from 1821 till 1826. He resigned as justice because of reactionary and bureaucratic policies instituted by the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n government in the administration of justice in the Palatinate. In 1816, he married Margarethe Pauli.
United States
In 1835 he came to the United States, and settled in St. Clair County, IllinoisSt. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in St. Clair County. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 270,056, which is an increase of 5.5% from 256,082 in 2000. Its county seat is...
. He purchased a farm near Belleville
Belleville, Illinois
Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 44,478. It is the eighth-most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county...
, and besides its general management gave much attention to viticulture, being the first to introduce it in Illinois. At first he tried to discover which of the Rhenish or French vines were best adapted to the climate, but soon found the indigenous Catawba grape most suitable, and he produced a wine that acquired a high local reputation.
The town of West Belleville, which gradually surrounded his original homestead, was laid out on his property and under his direction. He profitably sold a large part of his land as house lots. Meanwhile he gave special attention to the education of his children, whom he instructed personally in mathematics, languages and philosophy.-
Return to Germany
In 1851 he returned to Germany, having been invited by the Bavarian government to take part in recasting the law of mortgages of that country into a more modern form. Subsequently he came back to the United States, but, finding his family dispersed, in 1854 he again returned to Germany with his new wife Maria Theveny. He passed the remainder of his life quietly in Heidelberg.Works
While on his farm in the United States he revived an early taste for poetryPoetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, and devoted a portion of his leisure to making translations of ancient and modern poems into German, some of which were published and received with high commendation, notably Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
's Metamorphoses and “The Fire-Worshipers” from Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
's Lalla Rookh. Besides numerous legal and historical articles and minor poems contributed to American and European periodicals, he published:
- Twelve Paragraphs on Pauperism (Heidelberg, 1847)
- Ten Paragraphs on Constitutional Monarchy, and Republics (1849)
- My Recollections, an autobiography (1858)
- The Hundred Days, an Epic Poem (1859)
Family
Several of his children went on to noted careers:- Julius Erasmus HilgardJulius Erasmus HilgardJulius Erasmus Hilgard was a German-American engineer.Julius Erasmus Hilgard was born at Zweibrücken, Rhenish Bavaria, January 7, 1825...
(January 7, 1825 – May 9, 1890) was an engineer. - Theodore Charles Hilgard (February 28, 1828 - March 5, 1875) was a physician.
- Eugene Woldemar Hilgard (January 5, 1833 – January 8, 1916) was an expert on soils.
He was a granduncle of United States journalist and financier Henry Villard
Henry Villard
Henry Villard was an American journalist and financier who was an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway....
.