Karl Wilhelm Leopold Krug
Encyclopedia
Karl Wilhelm Leopold Krug (January 7, 1833 – April 4, 1898) was a German
businessman, naturalist, ethnographer, diplomat
and supporter of scientific collections.
on January 7, 1833, he was educated by private tutors and in several schools (gymnasia), obtaining his matriculation certificate in 1854.
, Krug arrived in Puerto Rico
in 1857 and started work in the international trading company of Lahmayer & Co. (later Schulze & Co.) in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He became partner, and later sole owner if the company. He became vice-consul in Mayaguez of both Germany and Great Britain.
Under the influence of his legal advisor Don Domingo Bello y Espinoza, Krug became an avid collector of plants and insects. He underwrote several collecting expeditions by the zoologist Juan Gundlach
. These collecting activities resulted in a large amount of scientific material, which became part of the Zoological Museum and Ethnographic Museum in Berlin.
. Krug and (to some extent the Berlin Academy of Sciences) underwrote the collecting expeditions of Paul Sintenis
and of the baron Eggers
, at the time commanding officer of the Danish forces on St. Thomas
. These, together with his own extensive material and other acquisitions became the basis of the Herbarium Krug et Urban, which was destroyed in the Second World War.
He died of congestive heart failure in Groß- Lichterfelde on April 4, 1898.
Urb. (Myrtaceae
) and Krugiodendron Urb. (Rhamnaceae
) were named in his honor.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
businessman, naturalist, ethnographer, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and supporter of scientific collections.
Early life and education
Born on the estate of Mühlenbeck in the vicinity of BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on January 7, 1833, he was educated by private tutors and in several schools (gymnasia), obtaining his matriculation certificate in 1854.
Puerto Rico
After a short apprenticeship in BremenBremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, Krug arrived in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in 1857 and started work in the international trading company of Lahmayer & Co. (later Schulze & Co.) in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He became partner, and later sole owner if the company. He became vice-consul in Mayaguez of both Germany and Great Britain.
Under the influence of his legal advisor Don Domingo Bello y Espinoza, Krug became an avid collector of plants and insects. He underwrote several collecting expeditions by the zoologist Juan Gundlach
Juan Gundlach
Juan Cristóbal Gundlach , born Johannes Christoph Gundlach was a Cuban naturalist and taxonomist.-Biography:...
. These collecting activities resulted in a large amount of scientific material, which became part of the Zoological Museum and Ethnographic Museum in Berlin.
Berlin
Krug retired from his business activities in 1876. He worked from then on in close collaboration with the director of the Berlin Botanical garden Ignatz UrbanIgnatz Urban
Ignatz Urban was a German botanist. He is known for his contributions to the flora of the Caribbean and Brazil, and for his work as curator of the Berlin Botanical Garden. Born the son of a brewer, Urban showed an interest in botany as an undergraduate...
. Krug and (to some extent the Berlin Academy of Sciences) underwrote the collecting expeditions of Paul Sintenis
Paul Sintenis
Paul Ernst Emil Sintenis was a German botanist, pharmacist and plant collector.He studied at the gymnasium in Görlitz, became a pharmacist’s apprentice in 1863 and worked as such in several German cities.His first collecting trip, in the years 1872-1876, was as helper to his brother Max, with whom...
and of the baron Eggers
Henrik Franz Alexander von Eggers
Henrik [Heinrich] Franz Alexander Baron von Eggers , was a Danish professional soldier and botanist.-Life:After studies at the gymnasium in Odense he entered the Danish army as subaltern in 1864 and fought in the Danish-German war.At the end of 1864 he joined the Imperial Mexican Volunteer Corps...
, at the time commanding officer of the Danish forces on St. Thomas
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
. These, together with his own extensive material and other acquisitions became the basis of the Herbarium Krug et Urban, which was destroyed in the Second World War.
He died of congestive heart failure in Groß- Lichterfelde on April 4, 1898.
Legacy
The genera KrugiaKrugia
Krugia is a genus of moths of the Noctuidae family.-References:*...
Urb. (Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae
The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...
) and Krugiodendron Urb. (Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines.The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species. The Rhamnaceae have a worldwide distribution, but are more common in the subtropical and tropical regions...
) were named in his honor.
Literature
- Urban, I. Leopold Krug Gebrüder Borntraeger, Berlin :1898