Oberlin, Jean Frederic (1740–1826)

Alsatian pastor and philanthropist. In 1767 he became pastor of Waldbach in the Steinthal valley, a wild, mountainous district devastated in the Thirty Years' War, where he worked to benefit the local people spiritually and materially.

His achievements included the building of new roads and bridges, an improved agricultural system, substantial cottages for the peasantry, an itinerant library, and a number of village schools, including the first infant schools.