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Johan Jakob Tengström

Born October 22, 1787, Kokkola. Died April 11, 1858, Helsinki

Bachelor of arts 1809, Master of Arts and PhD (philosophy) 1810, Imperial Academy of Turku
Study trips to Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy and France 1817–19
Studies in Uppsala 1804–06

Professor of philosophy 1830–48, Imperial Alexander University
Acting professor of the history of science and learning 1822–25, professor of practical philosophy 1827–30, Imperial Academy of Turku/Imperial Alexander University.
Special assistant of philosophy 1813, Imperial Academy of Turku
Special library assistant 1811–16, deputy librarian 1816–26, assistant librarian 1826–27, Academy of Turku library
Docent in the history of literature 1811–13, Imperial Academy of Turku

Inspector of the Pohjalainen Student Nation 1845–48
Inspector of the Pohjoispohjalainen Student Nation 1837–44
Curator of the Pohjalainen Student Nation 1823–28

Honours
Honorary member of the Pohjalainen Student Nation

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Johan Erik Lindh
Written by Tomas Sjöblom
Translated by Matthew Billington

Training Public Officials

Johan Jakob Tengström, the son of a parson from a clerical family, enrolled at the Imperial Academy of Turku in 1803. After spending the years 1804-06 studying abroad in Uppsala, he graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1809.

At the conferment ceremony the following year, Tengström was granted a master’s degree by the Professor of History and Morals, Frans Michael Franzén. At the time it was not possible to complete a degree higher than a master’s at the Faculty of Philosophy, so the graduates were automatically granted doctorates in philosophy. In 1811, Tengström was appointed docent in the history of literature as well as special library assistant at the Academy of Turku library.

Tengström spent the years 1817-19 on a study trip with his cousin Johan Magnus af Tengström in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy and France. After returning to Finland, he functioned as acting professor of the history of science and learning from 1822 to 1825. In 1827, he was appointed professor of Practical Philosophy, only a week before the Great Fire of Turku. When the University moved to Helsinki, the professorships of philosophy were combined. Tengström was thereafter the professor of both practical and theoretical philosophy until his retirement in 1848.

Tengström received not a single vote from the governing body of the University, the Consistorium, for his candidacy for professor in 1827, but he was nonetheless appointed owing to external political pressure. He strove for a multidisciplinary approach in his studies, combining philology, philosophy and history. However, this approach was poorly understood at the time, and his academic achievements were not greatly appreciated by his contemporaries.

The reason for Tengström’s appointment as professor was his expertise in political philosophy. He also distinguished himself in training highly skilled public officials.

Although Tengström was not greatly esteemed as a philosopher, the merits of his historical works are beyond dispute. He has even been heralded the finest Finnish historian of his time. Of particular value today are his publications based on sources that perished in the Great Fire of Turku.

One of the most notable publications of Johan Jakob Tengström is the historical work on Johannes Gezelius the elder (1825). Image source: Google Books.

Sources

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