The son of a merchant and mayor of his native city, he was educated at the classical schools of Helmstedt and Braunschweig, and afterwards at the universities of Göttingen and Bonn.
Sebagai putra dari pedagang dan Wali kota kota asalnya, ia dididik di sekolah klasik Helmstedt dan Braunschweig, dan setelah itu di universitas Göttingen dan Bonn.