Introduction

Biography

Johann was the son of Zür­ich phy­si­cian Jo­hann Hein­rich La­va­ter.

He en­tered the Ac­a­de­mic Gym­na­si­um in Zür­ich in 1758, and at the end of 1759 be­gan his stu­dies in its theo­lo­gic­al de­part­ment.

After com­plet­ing his course, he was or­dained in the spring of 1762, but did not un­der­take re­gu­lar pas­tor­al work un­til April 1769, when he was ap­point­ed di­a­co­nus of the Or­phan­age church of Zü­rich. He be­came pas­tor there in 1775.

He be­came di­a­co­nus of St. Pe­ter’s Church in Ju­ly 1778, and its pas­tor in De­cem­ber 1786.

During the French re­vo­lu­tion­a­ry pe­ri­od, France put the Swiss can­tons un­der con­tri­bu­tion, and in Ap­ril 1779 de­port­ed 10 of Zür­ich’s prin­ci­pal ci­ti­zens. La­va­ter pro­test­ed the ac­tion in print and from the pul­pit.

Consequently, while vis­it­ing Ba­den, near Zür­ich, he was seized by French dra­goons, May 14, 1799, and was tak­en to Ba­sel, but was al­lowed to re­turn to Zü­rich, Au­gust 16, 1799.

When the French un­der Mas­sé­na en­tered Zür­ich, Sep­tem­ber 25, 1799, La­va­ter was shot by a French gre­na­dier. He died of his wounds al­most two months lat­er.

Works

• Von der Phys­i­og­no­mik (Leip­zig, Ger­ma­ny: 1772)
• Aussichten in die Weig­keit (Zü­rich: 1768–78)
• Schweizerlieder (Bern, Swit­zer­land: 1767)