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What jobs did Jacob Grimm hold before becoming a full-time scholar?
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Brothers Grimm
Jacob (right) and Wilhelm Grimm, oil portrait by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann, 1855; in the National-Galerie, Berlin.
Before establishing himself as a full-time scholar, Jacob Grimm held several positions in the civil service and library administration. His professional career included the following roles:
- Secretary to the war office: In 1806, he began working in this capacity in Kassel.1
- Private librarian: In 1808, he served as private librarian to King Jérôme of Westphalia.1
- Legal assistant (auditeur): In 1809, he served in the Conseil d’État.1
- Secretary to the legation: Following his return to Hessian service in 1813, he served in this role, which involved diplomatic missions to Paris to recover cultural artifacts and participation in the Congress of Vienna.1
- Librarian: He joined his brother Wilhelm at the Elector’s library in Kassel in 1816 before later serving as a librarian and professor at the University of Göttingen.12