Von Pfeiffer was born in 1718 in Berlin and was the son of a Prussian official who administered royal property (Domänenverwaltung).
He wrote numerous works on widespread subjects, such as forestry and finance, agriculture, carbonization of bituminous coal, and means of improving the bliss of Germany.
In 1784 he published his six-volume work Corrections famous State, financial, police, Cameral, Commerzbank(commercial banks), and economic writings of this century.
In the same year, he was appointed by Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal as a professor on the part of the reform of the University of Mainz as a newly established specialist in Cameral science or public administration as it later becomes known.
The goal was not only the strengthening of state power through better economic performance, he wanted to join the advocacy of the principle of law and for a mutual understanding preparing international policy for the possibility of offensive wars.