Jacob Cornelis Matthieu (J. C. M.) Radermacher (1741 – 24 December 1783) was a Dutch botanist and author. Radermacher was born in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

. He was an

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

(VOC) in Batavia (

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

) as well as a talented naturalist. Born into an influential Dutch family, his father was Jacob Cornelis Radermacher (1700-1748), who was treasurer-general to the prince. His uncle and his nephew were members of the Board of Directors of the VOC. In 1757, then only sixteen years old, he had traveled to Indonesian to work as a merchant for the VOC. On 21 May 1761 Jacob married Margaretha Sophia Verijssel. In 1762 Radermacher created a Freemasonic circle in Batavia becoming the first Freemasonic lodge in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. In 1763 he returned to Holland to continue his studies, and graduated in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

Harderwijk Harderwijk (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city of the Netherlands. It is served by the Harderwijk railway station. Its population centres are Harderwijk and Hierden. Harderwijk is on the western boundary of the Veluwe. The south ...

. After graduation on 13 June 1766 he established himself as a lawyer 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 ...

. After a short time, Radermacher made the decision to return to Batavia. On 20 December 1766 with his wife Margaretha and two sons Frans Reinier and Johannes Cornelis, they boarded the ship ''Tulpenburg'' bound for Indonesia. His youngest son, Johannes Cornelis, still an infant, died within one month of their departure. By 1776, Radermacher was promoted by the VOC to title of "Extra-Ordinair Council of India". During his years in Batavia, Radermacher was a staunch promoter of the arts and sciences in the Far East. On 24 April 1778 he founded the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences ("Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en etenschappen"). He also donated a substantial amount of writings and collections to start the museum. During this time he also catalogued a significant amount of flora and fauna of the islands of

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

and

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

. The trees of the genus "

Radermachera ''Radermachera'' is a genus of about 17 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to southeastern Asia. They are evergreen trees reaching 5–40 m tall, with bipinnate or tripinnate leaves, and panicles of large bell-shaped, ...

" are named for him. By 1781 Radermacher was named Commissioner Concerning the Fleet and the Army, and Common Council of India. After the death of his first wife, he married Bataviase Anna Bosch. For health reasons in 1783, he requested permission to return to Holland. However, while en route home in the Indian Ocean on 24 December, there was a mutiny on board the ship and Radermacher was murdered.

References

External links

"Jaarboek van de Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde, 1988"

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radermacher, Jacob Cornelis Matthieu 1741 births 1783 deaths 18th-century Dutch botanists 18th-century Dutch naturalists Scientists from The Hague Sailors on ships of the Dutch East India Company People who died at sea Dutch people murdered abroad Indonesian Freemasons