Johann Gottlieb Otto Tepper (19 April 1841 – 16 February 1923) was a Prussian-born

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

, teacher, plant collector and

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

who spent most of his life living and working in Australia. He spent much of his career with the South Australian Museum.

History

Tepper was born in Neutomischel, Posen, Prussia (now Poland) on 19 April 1841. He was the eldest son of Johann Christoph Tepper (c. 1815 – 14 November 1891), and Johanne Wilhelmine Tepper, née Protsch, and emigrated with them aboard ''Gellert'', arriving in South Australia in 1847. They settled at Lyndoch, where he was educated before receiving tuition under Dr.

Carl Muecke Charles Andrew Muecke (February 20, 1918 – September 21, 2007) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. Education and career Born in New York City, New York, Muecke received a Bache ...

. He became master of a small country school, then joined the Education Department and taught at Monarto, Nuriootpa and Clarendon. In 1883 he was appointed natural history collector to the South Australian Museum and from 1888 until his retirement, on 30 June 1911 as entomologist, for which he gave valued service. He was a longtime member of the Royal Society, and a foundation member and several times president, of the Field Naturalists Society. He was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London in 1879, was a Life Fellow of the

Society of Science, Letters and Art The Society of Science, Letters and Art, also known as the Society of Science or SSLA, was a ''soi-disant'' learned society which flourished between 1882 and 1902. Dr Edward Albert Sturman, M.A., F.R.S.L., owned and ran the Society for his own f ...

, London, and an active member of around thirty learned societies including the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

. He was a correspondent and friend of the meteorologist

Clement Wragge Clement Lindley Wragge (18 September 185210 December 1922) was a meteorologist born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England, but moved to Oakamoor, Staffordshire as a child. He set up the Wragge Museum in Stafford following a trip around the wor ...

Family

(Johann Gottlieb) Otto Tepper (1841 – 16 February 1923) married Jane Brock ( – ) on 22 April 1867 *John William Otto Tepper (16 October 1868 – 6 May 1957), lived in Perth, Western Australia *Isabella Wilhelmine Victoria Tepper (28 October 1870 – ) married William Lachlan Cowan on 25 November 1895 *Marion Elizabeth Lilliana Tepper (20 July 1875 – 10 September 1950) married Carl Otto Goldick (c. 1873 – 8 July 1944) in 1897 They had a home at Somerset Place, Norwood Paul Tepper (c. 1844 – 13 August 1906), pioneer farmer of Monarto, then of Murtoa, Victoria was a brother.

Death and legacy

Tepper died in Norwood, South Australia, on 16 February 1923. His collections are now mostly held in Adelaide and Melbourne. His son was John William Otto Tepper (1868–1957), who collected plants at Roebuck Bay, Western Australia, and sent them to his father for identification and description; this collection is now housed principally at Perth, Western Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tepper, Johann Australian entomologists 1841 births 1923 deaths German emigrants to Australia Australian numismatists