Overbeck was the son of the lawyer, Georg Christian Overbeck (1713–1786) and his wife Eleonora MariaJauch (1732–1797), and also grandson of the superintendent Caspar Nikolaus Overbeck (1670–1752). He was the nephew of the rector of theKatharineum,Johann Daniel Overbeck (1715-1802). The painter,Friedrich Overbeck (1789–1869), and the jurist,Christian Gerhard Overbeck (1784–1846) were his sons. His grandson was the archeologistJohannes Adolph Overbeck (1826–1895). In 1781 Overbeck married Elisabeth Lang (1753–1820), whose family was originally fromNürtingen and shared ancestors withFriedrich Hölderlin andLudwig Uhland.[1]
He studied at the Katharineum of Lübeck, of which the rector was his uncle Johann Daniel Overbeck (1715–1802), and then from 1773 to 1776 studied law at theUniversity of Göttingen, meanwhile attending lectures on philosophical, mathematical, scientific and historical subjects. Overbeck had many friends in theGöttinger Hainbund, but was never a member. In 1788 he acquired his doctorate and from then on prefixed his name with "Dr.iur.utr."
Overbeck's career began with a failed attempt in 1776 to found a school, theErziehungsanstalt für Knaben, inBremen, after the example ofJoachim Heinrich Campes. In the same year he began his legal career as a barrister in Lübeck, and in 1779 he was appointed Supreme Court procurator. In 1792 he became assistant general counsel of the cathedral chapter of Lübeck. In 1800 this was followed by his appointment to theSenate of Lübeck. In 1804 he was a representative of Lübeck inSt Petersburg, and in 1808-9, 1810 and 1811 a representative of Lübeck in Paris, when he attended the wedding ofNapoleon I of France withMarie-Louise of Austria. During Lübeck's occupation by France he filled the office ofReceveur de la caisse communale. In 1814 he finally became Burgomaster of Lübeck.
On 16 October 1776 Overbeck joined the Freemasons' lodgeZum goldenen Zirkel in Göttingen and on 31 March 1777 became a member of the Lübeck lodgeZum Füllhorn, where from 1791 to 1797 he served as chairman five times. In 1779 he becameMitstifter at another Lübeck lodge,Zur Weltkugel. He was anIlluminatus under the nameAnacreon.[2] In 1789 he helped to establish theGesellschaft zur Beförderung gemeinnütziger Tätigkeit, and in 1791 and 1794–1797 he was its director. He was also apraeses for the Bible Society.
Overbeck utilised his diplomatic skills during the French occupation of Lübeck, and his skills as a jurist during the reorganisation of the city's constitution and finances after the years of war. He distinguished himself by his enlightened attitude to reform in the areas of school, church and poor relief. In addition, he showed artistic talent as a composer and songwriter. He had a gift for languages, demonstrated in translations of Greek and Latin odes, French drama and English travel literature.
"This greatHanseat, who during the French occupation of Lübeck defended its interests so ably in Paris and thus contributed so much to the wellbeing and prosperity of his native city, is a shining example of the kind of responsible model citizen in the latter half of the 18th century to which the Hanseatic myth owes so much."[3]
^Matrikel der Loge zum goldenen Zirkel im Geh. Staatsarchiv Berlin Sign. 5.2 G 31 Nr. 19; Heinz Jansen: Aus dem Göttinger Hainbund - Overbeck und Sprickmann, Münster 1933, S. 3-8, 109ff; Matrikel der Loge "Weltkugel", schriftl. Mitteilung 2001; Herm. Schüttler: Die Mitglieder des Illuminatenordens 1776-1787/93, München 1991, S. 114
1781Fritzchens Lieder ("Little Fritz's Songs"), including "Komm, lieber Mai, und mache die Bäume wieder grün" ("Come, dear May, and make the trees green once more"), set byWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1781Lieder und Gesänge mit Klaviermelodien ("Songs with piano accompaniment")
1803Leben Herrn Johann Daniel Overbecks, weyland Doctors der Theologie und Rectors des Lübeckischen Gymnasiums. Von einem nahen Verwandten, und vormaligen Schüler des Verewigten. Anonymously published biography of his uncle.
Overbeck, Christian Gerhard:Zur Erinnerung an Christian Adolph Overbeck, beider Rechte Doctor und Bürgermeister zu Lübeck, Lübeck 1830
Jansen, H.:Aus dem Göttinger Hainbund, Overbeck und Sprickmann, Ungedruckte Briefe Overbecks, 1933
Gaedertz, Karl Theodor:Was ich am Wege fand. Neue Folge. Die beiden Overbeck, Leipzig 1905
Luchmann, Fritz (Hg.):Beieinanderseyn ist das tägliche Brot. Briefe C.A. Overbecks an seine Familie aus St.Petersburg 1804 und aus Paris 1807 - 1811., Lübeck 1992
Sellheim, Isabel:Die Familie des Malers Friedrich Overbeck (1789-1869) in genealogischen Übersichten, Deutsches Familienarchiv Band 104, Neustadt an der Aisch 1989,ISBN3-7686-5091-X, GWISSN0012-1266
