Johann Caspar Goethe (29 July 1710 – 25 May 1782) was a wealthy German jurist and royal councillor to the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire.

His son, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is considered one of the greatest German poets and authors of all time.

Between 1725 and 1730, Goethe attended the Casimirianum gynmnasium in Coburg, after which he studied law, first in Giessen and for four years from 1731 in Leipzig.

He became acquainted with the workings of the Perpetual Diet in Regensburg as well as the Aulic Council in Vienna, both important institutions of the Holy Roman Empire.

[2] In May 1742, Goethe paid 300 Guilder for the title of "Imperial Councillor" under Karl VII, who had lived in Frankfurt for much of his reign.

After the death of his mother on 1 April 1754, Goethe had the two inter-connected houses remodelled into a spacious new building with 20 rooms and a staircase modelled on the Kaisertreppe in the Römer.

[citation needed] The new house provided sufficient space for Goethe's large library and art collection.