Joseph von Baader
Baader in an oil painting stored at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences
Born
Joseph Baader

(1763-09-30)30 September 1763
Munich, Electorate of Bavaria
Died20 November 1835(1835-11-20) (aged 72)
Munich
NationalityGerman
Occupations
  • Engineer
  • Medical doctor
Known forRailway pioneer in Bavaria
RelativesFranz Xaver von Baader (brother)
Johann Adam Schöpf (1702–1772; grandfather)

Joseph von Baader (30 September 1763 – 20 November 1835) was a German engineer and medical doctor, chiefly known for his role as a pioneer of railway transport in Bavaria, alongside Joseph Anton von Maffei and Theodor von Cramer-Klett. He was the brother of mining engineer and Catholic theologian Franz Xaver von Baader.

Life and career

Born into an environment of relative wealth – his father, Franz Joseph Baader, became Duke Clement of Bavaria's personal physician in 1768[1] – he originally also pursued a career in medicine. However, following his graduation in 1785, he decided to shift to studies of mathematics and physics instead, widening his knowledge in these areas through a study trip to England from 1787 to 1795,[2] where he worked as a civil engineer.[3]

After this period, he returned to Bavaria, where he joined the Bavarian Academy of Sciences in 1796.[4] His theory of suction published in 1797 attracted the attention of the Elector Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, who in 1802 commissioned Baader with the creation of new fountains for the Nymphenburg Palace Park.[5][6][7] In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte called him to Paris, where he submitted plans for the development of a new engine for the Machine de Marly,[8] though these were never realized.[4] Starting in 1807, he began advocating for the construction of railway lines, his involvement in this cause going as far as to present a working model of a railcar in 1818, which he developed into a fully-sized machine in the following years.[9] In 1815, Baader acquired the patent for a freight wagon that was able to travel by rail and road. In 1832, in order to develop the country to build a railway from Rosenheim via Miesbach, Tölz, Iffeldorf to Lechbruck and a canal from Iffeldorf to Lake Starnberg and on to Munich, Baader made a plea for a railway connection from Munich to Starnberg.[10]

In 1810, he invented what is hypothesized to have been the first modern pedal boat.[11] He was raised to Bavarian nobility in 1813.[12]

Following the death of his daughter, Caroline, in 1834, von Baader's own health also began to deteriorate. He died on 20 November 1835.[9]

References

  1. ^ Ebnet 2016, p. 66.
  2. ^ Rieck 2015, p. 90.
  3. ^ Schmid & Weigand 2005, p. 268.
  4. ^ a b "Deutsche Biographie - Baader, Joseph von" (in German). Neue Deutsche Biographie. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  5. ^ Bayern 1950, p. 70.
  6. ^ "Baader, Joseph von" (in German). Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  7. ^ "200 Jahre Fontänen im Schlosspark Nymphenburg" (PDF). www.schloss-nymphenburg.de (in German). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  8. ^ The Eclectic Review. Vol. 2. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, Paternoster-Row. 1806. pp. 1057–1058.
  9. ^ a b Siber 1836, p. 9.
  10. ^ Baader 1832, p. 3.
  11. ^ Barth 1811, p. 234.
  12. ^ Bayern (1813). Königlich-Baierisches Regierungsblatt (in German). pp. 986–987.

Bibliography

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