Johann Friedrich von Recke (1 August 1764 – 13 September 1846) was a senior public official in the Baltic Germans Duchy of Courland.

[2] Johann Friedrich von Recke was born in Mitau, the capital of the Duchy of Courland, which by the time of his death had been incorporated into Russia.

Between 1787 and 1788 von Recke worked for the duchy's Archive and Administration secretary (Archiv- und Lehnsekretär), then taking over the office himself in 1788.

He retained the post till 1795 when Duke Peter was persuaded to agree to the incorporation of the Duchy of Courland into Russia, as a little noticed (in English language sources) concomitant of the Third Partition of Poland.

[4] During the early years of the nineteenth century, between 1805 and 1808 Johann von Recke published the "Weekly Update for Lovers of German Literature in Russia" ("Wöchentliche Unterhaltungen für Liebhaber deutscher Lekture in Russland") and the "New Weekly Update, mostly Themed on Arts and Literature" ("Neue wöchentlich Unterhaltungen, grössentheils Gegenstände über der Kunst und Litteratur").

He was subsequently, on 23 November 1815, one of seven co-founders of the Courland Society for Literature and the Arts ("Die Kurländische Gesellschaft für Litteratur und Kunst)".