Herman Gottfried Breijer or Breyer (12 July 1864, in

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...

– 10 October 1923, in Morgenzon,

Louis Trichardt Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

dist.) was a Dutch-born South African naturalist and

museologist Museology or museum studies is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and education. Terminology The w ...

, the son of Carl Arnold Breijer and his wife, Elize Wesser. Breijer was educated at

Amsterdam University The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

being awarded a doctorate in mathematics and physics in 1893. The same year he was appointed as lecturer at the Staatsgymnasium in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

. He supported the idea of establishing a Staatsmuseum (later the Transvaal Museum) and was a trustee on its first board in 1893. He also functioned as honorary curator until 1897 when a suitable director was found. Breijer taught natural science and mathematics at the Pretoria Normal College (later the University of Pretoria) and in 1905 was appointed to the chair of mathematics at the Johannesburg School of Mines and Technology, which later became the

Witwatersrand University The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

. He remained there until 1913 when he succeeded Dr.

J. W. B. Gunning Jan Willem Boudewijn Gunning (3 September 1860 in Hilversum, North Holland – 26 June 1913 in Pretoria), was a Dutch physician, who served as the director of both the Transvaal Museum, Staatsmuseum and what was then known as the National Zoo ...

as director of the

Transvaal Museum The Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, formerly the Transvaal Museum, is a natural history museum situated in Pretoria, South Africa. It is located on Paul Kruger Street, between Visagie and Minnaar Streets, opposite the Pretoria City Ha ...

. Breijer was often associated with the Dutch-born entomologist

Cornelis Jacobus Swierstra Cornelis Jacobus Swierstra (22 October 1873, Amsterdam—11 March 1952, Pretoria) was a Dutch-born South African entomologist. Swierstra studied entomology at the University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, n ...

(1874-1952) in his collecting done in South Africa and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, and was succeeded as director by him in 1921. Breijer is commemorated in the scientific names of several plants: ''Thesium breyeri'', ''Pavetta breyeri'', ''Blepharis breyeri'', and former species in the genera ''Warburgia'', ''Disa'', ''Barleria'', and ''Cleome''. He is also commemorated in the scientific names of two species of African lizards: ''

Smaug breyeri ''Smaug breyeri'', also known commonly as the Waterberg dragon lizard or the Waterberg girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa. Etymology The specific name, ''breyeri'', is in hon ...

'' and ''

Tetradactylus breyeri ''Tetradactylus breyeri'', commonly known as Breyer's long-tailed seps or Breyer's whip lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Gerrhosauridae. The species is endemic to South Africa. Etymology The specific name, ''breyeri'', is in honor o ...

''.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Breyer", pp. 38-39). Breijer's son, J.W.F. Breijer, served with the

SAP Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...

Namutoni Namutoni is a restcamp on the edge of Etosha pan in the Oshikoto Region in northern Namibia. It is one of the entrance gates to Etosha National Park. The most prominent structure at Namutoni is ''Fort Namutoni'', built in 1896. It was originally ...

South West Africa South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...

, and maintained a unique flora collection from that country.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breijer, Herman Gottfried 1864 births 1923 deaths Dutch emigrants Dutch naturalists People from Arnhem South African naturalists South African museologists University of Amsterdam alumni Immigrants to the South African Republic