Background
Franz Ludwig von Cancrin was born on February 21, 1738, at Breitenbach, Germany. He was descended from a mining family; when he was very young, his father moved the family to Bieber, Hesse, where he had become director of a mine.
Fürstengraben 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
From 1759 to 1762 Cancrin attended the University of Jena, where he continued his mathematical studies and began his legal ones.
architect metallurgist mineralogist scientist writer
Franz Ludwig von Cancrin was born on February 21, 1738, at Breitenbach, Germany. He was descended from a mining family; when he was very young, his father moved the family to Bieber, Hesse, where he had become director of a mine.
Cancrin received his primary education in the schools of Bieber, while his father trained him in mathematical and scientific subjects. Despite family tradition, Cancrin wished to study jurisprudence. Prince William of Hesse ordered the elder Cancrin to train one of his sons in the science of mining, however, and Franz Ludwig was chosen. He spent several years in these more advanced studies with his father and then from 1759 to 1762 attended the University of Jena, where he continued his mathematical studies and began his legal ones.
In 1764 Cancrin became a clerk in Hanau and in 1767 was made assessor in the revenue office there. At this time he also tutored Prince Frederick in mathematics and engineering and published his first book, Abhandlung von der Zubereitung und Zugutemachung der Kupfererze (1766), a treatise on copper smelting. He then moved on to become professor of mathematics at the Hanau Military Academy (from which he withdrew on the plea of ill health) and held sundry official positions, including director of the mint in 1774.
Despite the press of his civil offices, Cancrin found time (1773-1791) to write an encyclopedic work in twenty-one volumes that covered all aspects of the mining of metals and salt - including mineralogy, assaying, mathematics, and mechanics. This work brought him a European reputation; he was made a member of scientific societies in Giessen and Berlin, and in 1782 accepted an appointment as Regierungsdirektor of Altenkirchen from the margrave of Ansbach.
In 1783 Cancrin entered the service of the Russian empress Catherine II; his duties included management of the Staraya Russa saltworks. He spent the rest of his life in Russia. From 1796 he was assisted at Staraya Russa by his son. He was finally called to St. Petersburg, where he served as a financial officer and died on April 10, 1812, almost unnoticed.
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1765(German Edition)
1791(German Edition)
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1792In 1773, Cancrin married Maria Louise Philippine Kröber, they had at least one son, Georg von Cancrin.