Swedish entomologist, industrialist and civil servant
Charles De Geer
Charles De Geer, painting by Gustaf Lundberg
Born
(1720-01-30)30 January 1720
Finspång, Sweden
Died
7 March 1778(1778-03-07) (aged 58)
Stockholm, Sweden
Alma mater
Utrecht University
Known for
Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire des insectes, 8 vols.
Awards
Knight, Order of the Polar Star (1761)[1] Commander Grand Cross, Order of Vasa (1772)[1]
Scientific career
Fields
Entomology
Author abbrev. (zoology)
de Geer, De Geer
Charles De Geer (30 January 1720 – 7 March 1778) was an entomologist, industrialist, civil servant and book collector. He came from a prominent Swedish-Dutch family. Born in Sweden, he spent most of his childhood and youth in the Dutch Republic. At the age of 18 he moved back to Sweden and would spend the rest of his life there. Upon his return to Sweden, he took over the management of the ironworks of Lövstabruk. He was a successful businessman and with time became one of the richest men in Sweden, head of an early industry employing around 3,000 people. He also had a successful civic career, became Marshal of the Court and was elevated to the rank of friherre (baron) in 1773.
De Geer had developed an interest in natural history and particularly entomology when he was still young. After his return to Sweden, his interest transformed into a serious scientific pursuit. He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1739 and a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences in 1748. He published his main work on entomology, Mémoires pour servir de l'histoire des insectes, in French in eight volumes between 1752 and 1778. In it, he provided descriptions of the behaviour of over 1,400 insect species.
De Geer was also a book collector. He used his library for his research, but it also contained books on many other subjects in several languages. The inclusion of a number of sumptuous and rare works, including a collection of music scores, indicate that it was also intended as a way to raise De Geer's social status as an aristocratic collector. Since 1986 it belongs to Uppsala University Library, but most of it is still kept in situ in Lövstabruk, in the pavilion De Geer constructed to house the library.
CharlesDeGeer (30 January 1720 – 7 March 1778) was an entomologist, industrialist, civil servant and book collector. He came from a prominent Swedish-Dutch...
of long-horn beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by CharlesDeGeer in 1775. It is native to China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan...
in his 1763 work Centuria Insectorum, using material sent to him by CharlesDeGeer. Pulawski, Wojciech J. (27 May 2022). "Sphex" (PDF). Catalog of Sphecidae...
Jonkheer Dirk Jan deGeer (14 December 1870 – 28 November 1960) was a Dutch politician of the Christian Historical Union who served as Prime Minister...
shown it is sensitive to engine oil and diesel oil. "Harpalus rufipes (DeGeer, 1774)". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2023-04-08. Fauna Europaea Carl H...
family Cleridae, with a cosmopolitan distribution, first described by CharlesDeGeer in 1775. The adult beetles are 3.5–7.0 millimetres (0.1–0.3 in) long...
Pediculus humanus humanus Linnaeus and Head Louse, Pediculus humanus capitis DeGeer (Insecta: Phthiraptera (=Anoplura): Pediculidae)". University of Florida...
Gastrophysa viridula pennina (Weise, 1882) Gastrophysa viridula viridula (DeGeer, 1775) The green dock beetle is commonly found in central Europe, also...
UK.2021-1.RLTS.T164045826A166771503.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021. DeGeer, Charles (1774). Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire des insectes, vol. 4. Stockholm:...
species of longhorn beetle in Lepturinae subfamily. It was described by CharlesDeGeer in 1775 and is found in central and northern Europe. The species are...
213-219. Kumara, T. K., et al. (2009). The infestation of Dermestes ater (DeGeer) on a human corpse in Malaysia. Trop Biomed 26(1) 73-79 Avancini, R. M...
'skin', and pteron (plural ptera), meaning 'wing'. It was coined by CharlesDeGeer in 1773. The common term, earwig, is derived from the Old English ēare...
bishopmuseum.org. Retrieved 2018-03-04. "Macao paper wasp, Polistes olivaceus (DeGeer)". Entomological Society of America. 2010. Retrieved 2021-06-13. v t e...
Hymenoptera Family: Formicidae Subfamily: Formicinae Genus: Camponotus Species: C. pennsylvanicus Binomial name Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer, 1773)...
Baron Gerard Jacob DeGeer ForMemRS (20 November 1858 – 24 July 1943) was a Swedish geologist who made significant contributions to Quaternary geology...
of the species is Pennsylvania ground beetle. "Harpalus pensylvanicus (DeGeer, 1774)". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2023-04-08. Van Der Laat, Rocio; Owen...
Pennsylvania". The spelling with one n was in common use at the time (deGeer says in the description that the specimen was sent to him from 'Pensylvanie')...
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