Background
Johann Albrecht Korff was born November 30, 1697 in the Duchy of Courland.
Johann Albrecht Korff was born November 30, 1697 in the Duchy of Courland.
Korff graduated with honors from University of Jena.
A native of Courland, he moved through his service at the court duchess of Courland (then Russian empress) Anna Ivanovna. Since 1740 he was the Russian ambassador in Copenhagen. His library (36,000 volumes) was purchased for the Crown Prince of Grand Duke Paul Petrovich, then it passed to the Crown Prince Constantine Pavlovich.
Young years
Shortly after returning from the University he was appointed chamberlain to the court of the Duchess of Courland Anna Ivanovna, and in 1728 sent to Moscow to request for a raise in their pension, which the Duchess received from the Russian court.
In 1730 the Empress sent him to Courland to petition for listing the names of Peter von Biron in the number of Courland nobility. In 1732, he was again sent to Courland, to pave the way for the election of the Duke of Courland Peter von Biron.
Korf spent two years in Courland and arranged everything well. At the head of the Academy of Sciences
The first step in the implementation of the plan was the appointment Johann Albrecht Korff as the "chief commander of the Academy," which was followed in September 1734.
In rescript of 18 September 1734 stated that he is charged with the duty "to manage and control the order of Saint St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
After becoming the president he carried on reforms as part of which he ordered to henceforward write academic papers in German instead of Latin and business correspondence be written in both Russian and German. In 1735 he wrote to the Slavic Greek Latin Academy for twenty of their best students to be sent to the Saint St. Petersburg State University associated with the academy. Mikhail Lomonosov was one of the 12 students who passed the competence and were selected for Saint St. Petersburg State University.
At that time the Saint St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences was in particular need for competent chemists and metallurgists.
Foreign this reason, he established contact with Johann Friedrich Henckel. Under his presidency Hans Sloane was formally accepted as the Academy"s first English honorary member.
In the diplomatic arena
In 1764 he submitted a propoasal to the Empress for forming a strong Northern alliance to counteract the southern Austro Franco Spanish Alliance.
Russian Academy of Sciences. Russian Academy of Sciences.