Herman Gottfried Breijer or Breyer (12 July 1864, in

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

– 10 October 1923, in Morgenzon,

Louis Trichardt Louis Trichardt (formerly Trichardtsdorp, and Makhado from 2003 to 2014), informally shortened to LTT (), is a town in Limpopo, South Africa. It is at the foot of Songozwi, in the Soutpansberg mountain, and is the centre of the Makhado Local Mu ...

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

museologist Museology (also called museum studies or museum science) 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 ed ...

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

Amsterdam University The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlands still in operati ...

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 the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

. 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 (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The university has its roots in ...

. 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 Staatsmuseum and what was then known as the Pretoria Zoological Gardens ...

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 ...

. 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. He moved to South Africa in 1894, and was employed at ...

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

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, 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'' 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 of ...

''.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 the 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 s ...

Namutoni Namutoni is a restcamp on the eastern edge of the Etosha pan in the Oshikoto Region in northern Namibia. The adjoining Von Lindequist Gate about 10km east is one of the entrance gates to the Etosha National Park. The most prominent structure at N ...

South West Africa South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...

, and maintained a unique flora collection from that country.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breijer, Herman Gottfried 1864 births 1923 deaths Dutch emigrants 19th-century Dutch naturalists People from Arnhem South African naturalists South African museologists University of Amsterdam alumni Immigrants to the South African Republic 20th-century Dutch naturalists