Wilhelm Christian Raster was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

administrative officer ''(Verwaltungsbeamter)'' in the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau in the first half of the 19th century. He served as the Collector of Customs and Excise for the Duchy and maintained a close relationship with Duke Leopold IV. Raster had a passion for languages (himself being fluent in four) and was noted for translating a number of Lord Byron's works from English into German. He had a friendship with the poet

Friedrich von Matthisson Friedrich von Matthisson (23 January 1761 – 12 March 1831) was a German poet, an early member of the German Romantic movement. His best known poem is probably ''Adelaide'', which was set to music by Beethoven. Biography He was born at Hohendod ...

, which was said to have a profound effect on his son, Hermann. The elder Raster encouraged his son to study philology and linguistics at the universities in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Despite his linguistically-oriented education, the younger Raster eventually went into politics and journalism and immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

following his participation in the

Revolutions of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

References

1776 births Year of death missing People from Anhalt-Dessau 19th-century translators English–German translators 19th-century German civil servants {{Germany-politician-stub