Sigmund Zimmern 1796-1830
Zimmern, eldest son of a family of eleven, was born on 4 March 1796 at Heidelberg to a wealthy banking family. After highschool he studied law at the Heidelberg University, attaining a Doctor of Law in February 1817. His training was continued with a year in Berlin and then in Göttingen. He returned to the Heidelberg University as lecturer in the Faculty of Law, and in May 1821 received the title of Grand Duke of Baden’s counsel.
In September of that year he joined the Lutheran church in Karlsruhe. The exact circumstances of his coming to faith are unknown, though it is known that two friends of his, Eduard Gans and Leopold Neustetler, also came to faith, as well as his sister Regine. (See Regine’s biography in this section). He married Karoline Walther from Hanau, and had a daughter and son.
In the autumn of 1826 Sigmund moved to Jena after rejecting a call from the Breslau University. In the autumn of 1827 he returned home sick from a trip; in the spring of 1829 he was compelled to discontinue his lectures at the university.To regain his health, he intended to travel to southern France, but only got as far as Heidelberg. He died there on 9 June 1830 at the age of 34.
Works
Geschichte des römischen Privatrechts bis Justinian“ (Bd. 1 in 2 Abthlgn. Heidelberg 1826, Bd. 3 ebd. 1829)
Source
Jews in Public Service Under the German Monarchy. The Leo Baeck Institute Yearbook 1964 9(1):206-238; doi:10.1093/leobaeck/9.1.206