Adolph Ernst Kroeger (28 December 1837 in Schwabstedt,

Duchy of Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been div ...

– 8 March 1882 in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

) was a

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

and author who contributed significantly to the understanding of

German literature German literature () comprises those literature, literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy ...

in the United States.

Biography

Kroeger was the son of a

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

who emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with his family in 1848 and settled at

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

. He was a Latin farmer, and instructed his son in foreign languages and instilled in him a love for music, poetry and philosophy. Young Kroeger first went into a banking house. In 1857 his father died, and he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and was connected with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' as translator for three years. He became their St. Louis correspondent and was noted for his political articles. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

he served on the staff of Gen. Frémont. At the close of the Civil War, he settled in St. Louis. He made his living as a journalist and dabbled in municipal politics, but philosophy was his life calling. Both by translations of the works of

Fichte Johann Gottlieb Fichte (; ; 19 May 1762 – 29 January 1814) was a German philosopher who became a founding figure of the philosophical movement known as German idealism, which developed from the theoretical and ethical writings of Immanuel Kan ...

Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, et ...

, and

Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat who is credited, alongside Sir Isaac Newton, with the creation of calculus in addition to many ...

, and by numerous essays in different periodicals, he largely contributed to a better understanding of

in the

, and increased the number of those that are interested in it. He wrote regularly for the St. Louis ''Journal of Speculative Philosophy''. He published Fichte's ''Science of Knowledge'' (Philadelphia, 1868), the same author's ''Science of Rights'' (1869), and translated his ''Science of Morals'', though at his death the latter remained in manuscript. He also issued ''The Minnesingers of Germany'', containing translations of Walter von der Vogelweide and others (New York, 1873), and ''Our Forms of Government and the Problems of the Future'' (1862). An 1870 incident involving St. Louis finances and the city treasurer resulted in him being convicted for forgery and sentenced to a term in prison. There were mitigating circumstances, and Governor Gratz Brown pardoned him in 1872.

References

* *

External links

* * * A. E. Kroege
''The Minnesinger of Germany'' 1873
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kroeger, Adolph Ernst German–English translators Danish emigrants to the United States People from the Duchy of Schleswig 1837 births 1882 deaths 19th-century American translators