History > Johann Reinhold Forster
Johann Reinhold Forster
Johann Reinhold Forster was a German Reformed pastor and naturalist. He was born on October 22, 1729, in Dirschau (now Tczew in Poland). He attended school in Dirschau and Marienwerder and in 1745 was admitted to the Joachimsthal Gymnasium in Berlin. He later studied theology at the University of Halle. Upon graduation, he served a parish south of Danzig and married Justina Elisabeth Nicolai in 1754. They had seven children; the oldest child was a son, Johann Georg Adam (known as Georg), born in November 1754. Georg would become a central figure of the Enlightenment in Germany.
In 1765, Forster was commissioned by the Russian government to inspect the new colonies on the Volga River near Saratov. After obtaining leave from his pastoral duties, he traveled to St. Petersburg with his young son, George. Their expenses were paid by Hans Wilhelm Rehbinder, a Russian of German ancestry who recommended him to Count Grigory Orlov, one of Catherine the Great's favorites. Count Orlov oversaw the colonization program resulting from Catherine's Manifesto, and hoped that Forster's report would show that the colonists were happy and thriving, despite rumours to the contrary.
Forster made scientific plans for the expedition and was supported by the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, which provided him with reference books and instruments. From St. Petersburg, the Foresters traveled to Moscow and then to Saratov, arriving in May 1765. From Saratov, they traveled down the Volga to Dmitriyevsk (now Kamyshin) and Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd). The expedition reached the Kalmyk Steppe and Lake Elton, where Forster studied the salt industry. In addition, they stopped to inspect settlements along the Volga and some of its tributaries before returning to St. Petersburg in October. Georg collected hundreds of plant specimens, helping his father with naming and identification. Forster's map of the region was among the first to show the settlement area and many of the new colonies. Although the colony of Norka was not established until August 1767, after Forster had departed Russia, he did map the Norka River, which gave the colony its name.
Forster's report for the Russian government was read to the Russian Academy of Sciences. It was critical of the conditions for the German colonists and the Office for the Guardianship of Foreign Settlers in Saratov. After the report was received by Orlov and Catherine II, Forster was asked to draft regulations for the colonies that would include improved governance and some degree of autonomy for the settlers. Forster finished this work in May 1766 and, after a dispute regarding compensation, left for England without payment. He received 500 rubles in 1771.
In 1765, Forster was commissioned by the Russian government to inspect the new colonies on the Volga River near Saratov. After obtaining leave from his pastoral duties, he traveled to St. Petersburg with his young son, George. Their expenses were paid by Hans Wilhelm Rehbinder, a Russian of German ancestry who recommended him to Count Grigory Orlov, one of Catherine the Great's favorites. Count Orlov oversaw the colonization program resulting from Catherine's Manifesto, and hoped that Forster's report would show that the colonists were happy and thriving, despite rumours to the contrary.
Forster made scientific plans for the expedition and was supported by the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, which provided him with reference books and instruments. From St. Petersburg, the Foresters traveled to Moscow and then to Saratov, arriving in May 1765. From Saratov, they traveled down the Volga to Dmitriyevsk (now Kamyshin) and Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd). The expedition reached the Kalmyk Steppe and Lake Elton, where Forster studied the salt industry. In addition, they stopped to inspect settlements along the Volga and some of its tributaries before returning to St. Petersburg in October. Georg collected hundreds of plant specimens, helping his father with naming and identification. Forster's map of the region was among the first to show the settlement area and many of the new colonies. Although the colony of Norka was not established until August 1767, after Forster had departed Russia, he did map the Norka River, which gave the colony its name.
Forster's report for the Russian government was read to the Russian Academy of Sciences. It was critical of the conditions for the German colonists and the Office for the Guardianship of Foreign Settlers in Saratov. After the report was received by Orlov and Catherine II, Forster was asked to draft regulations for the colonies that would include improved governance and some degree of autonomy for the settlers. Forster finished this work in May 1766 and, after a dispute regarding compensation, left for England without payment. He received 500 rubles in 1771.
A map created by Johann Reinhold Forster, drawn in 1765 and published in 1768, titled "A most accurate map of those parts of the Astracan government upon the river Wolga where in the new colonies are settled, taken from original drawings & observations made in a late survey of those countries". Source: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b53039154g
In England, Forster succeeded Joseph Priestley as tutor in modern languages and natural history at Warrington Academy, where he worked for two years. He made contact with many other naturalists, published a textbook on mineralogy, and translated works of the apostles of Linnaeus into English. Invited by the geographer Alexander Dalrymple, Forster moved to London in 1770 to prepare for an East India Company expedition, but the plans fell through. Forster continued to publish translations and scientific works, including contributions to North American zoology and botany. In February 1772, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Forster served as the naturalist aboard Captain James Cook's second voyage (1772-1775). His young son, Georg, accompanied him on the 3-year expedition. When they returned to England, Forster published the botanical work "Characteres generum plantarum." However, Cook and Forster disagreed on who should write a narrative of the journey. After a lengthy argument, Georg wrote "A Voyage Round the World," which appeared six weeks before Cook's account. Forster published his scientific "Observations Made During a Voyage Round the World" separately.
Forster served as the naturalist aboard Captain James Cook's second voyage (1772-1775). His young son, Georg, accompanied him on the 3-year expedition. When they returned to England, Forster published the botanical work "Characteres generum plantarum." However, Cook and Forster disagreed on who should write a narrative of the journey. After a lengthy argument, Georg wrote "A Voyage Round the World," which appeared six weeks before Cook's account. Forster published his scientific "Observations Made During a Voyage Round the World" separately.
A 1781 engraving of Johann Reinhold Forster, surrounded by Forstera sedifolia by Johann Friedrich Bause (1738 - 1814), after a painting by Anton Graff (1736 - 1813). This image is in the public domain.
Another German naturalist, Peter Simon Pallas, would follow in the footsteps of Forster from 1768 to 1773. Pallas also mapped the German colonies and recorded his observations of several of them, including Norka.
Johann Reinhold Forster died on December 9, 1798, in Halle.
Johann Reinhold Forster died on December 9, 1798, in Halle.
Sources
Johann Reinhold Forster - Wikipedia
Hoare, Michael E. "The Tactless Philosopher - Johann Reinhold Forster 1729-1798."
Steiner, Gerhard. "J.R. Forsters und G. Forsters Beziehungen zu Russland," Berlin: 1968.
Hoare, Michael E. "The Tactless Philosopher - Johann Reinhold Forster 1729-1798."
Steiner, Gerhard. "J.R. Forsters und G. Forsters Beziehungen zu Russland," Berlin: 1968.
Last updated November 12. 2025