Person
Tepper, Johann Gottlieb Otto (1841 - 1923)
FLS
- Born
- 19 April 1841
Poznan, Poland - Died
- 16 February 1923
Norwood, South Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Naturalist and Teacher
Summary
Otto Tepper was a teacher and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of the natural history of South Australia. After 16 years teaching in rural areas of the colony, he was appointed Collector at the South Australian Museum, later also being given responsibilities as numismatist, librarian and Entomologist. His main collecting areas were the Barossa Valley, Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island and Yorke Peninsula. He published widely on insects, describing a number of new species, and on the flora and geology of South Australia. The South Australian Museum holds Tepper's entomological specimens: his collection of plant specimens ultimately went to the State Herbarium of South Australia, while the National Herbarium of Victoria holds over 3,200 specimens as a result of his extended correspondence with Ferdinand von Mueller. Tepper was an active participant in local scientific societies, serving two terms as President of the Field Naturalists' Section of the Royal Society of South Australia. He also played a key role in conservation initiatives, including chairing the Native Fauna and Flora Protection Committee. A number of plant species and the cockroach genus Jotepperia (= Carbrunneria) were named in Tepper's honour.
Details
Chronology
- 1847
- Life event - Migrated to South Australia with his family
- 1867 - 1883
- Career position - Teacher in rural schools, South Australian Department of Education
- 1878 - 1880
- Career position - Member, Adelaide Philosophical Society
- 1879 - 1923
- Career position - Fellow, Linnean Society of London (FLS)
- 1880 - 1912
- Career position - Member, South Australian Gardener's Society
- 1883
- Career position - Member of Committee, Field Naturalists' Section, Royal Society of South Australia
- 1883 - 1888
- Career position - Natural History Collector, South Australian Institute
- 1883 - 1923
- Career position - Founding Member, Field Naturalists' Section, Royal Society of South Australia
- 1886 - 1888
- Career position - Chairman, Field Naturalists' Section, Royal Society of South Australia
- 1888 - 1911
- Career position - Entomologist, South Australian Institute
- 1891 - 1893
- Career position - Life Member, Society of Science, Letters and Arts, London
- 1891 - 1923
- Career position - Chairman, Field Naturalists' Section, Royal Society of South Australia
- 1896 - 1909
- Career position - Vice-President, South Australian Gardener's Society
- 1911
- Life event - Retired
- 1912 - 1923
- Award - Honorary Member, Royal Society of South Australia
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- Kraehenbuehl, Darrell N., 'Tepper, Johann Gottlieb Otto (1841-1923), Botanist, Schoolteacher and Entomologist' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. Supplement (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2005), p. 379. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/AS10458b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- Kraehenbuehl, D. N., 'Life and Works of J. G. O. Tepper, FLS, and His Association with the Field Naturalists' Section of the Royal Society of South Australia', South Australian Naturalist, 44 (2) (1969), 23-42. Details
- Kraehenbuehl, Darryl N., 'J. G. O. Tepper, Dedicated Conservationist, Naturalist and Scientist', Journal of the Friends of Lutheran Archives, 14 (2004), 33-44. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2891010. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/92102539. Details
- 'Tepper, Johann Gottlieb Otto (18410419-19230216)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-910317. Details
See also
Helen Cohn
Created: 5 December 2017, Last modified: 20 February 2020