Dr Jan Theodoor Henrard (with portrait)

On October 16th 1946 Dr J. Th. Henrard will have reached the pensionable age of sixty five years. In accordance with the legal prescriptions he is due to take leave officially as keeper of the ”Rijksherbarium“. The present director, Prof. Dr H. J. Lam, invited me to write a short biography of Dr Henrard on this occasion. Having been Henrard’s eldest colleague till 1934 at the institution, I accepted willingly. Jan Theodoor Henrard was born October 16th, 1881 at Maastricht, where his father, J. B. Henrard, was director of the Weight and Measures Office. There is a legend in the family that the Henrards originated from the Vendée (in France) as descendants of a Huguenot-refugee. Owing to this duties J. B. Henrard was often transferred with his family from one locality to the other; his children got their education in different towns of the country. Jan visited the elementary school at Maastricht. The secundary school he followed at Zwolle and Leeuwarden respectively. At Zwolle he made the acquaintance of two well-known Dutch florists, Lako, a teacher at the secundary school and Carmiggelt, an official at his fathers office. From them Jan gathered already an extensive knowledge of the Dutch flora. His final high school certificate he got at Sneek on August 10th, 1901 (Diploma H. B. S.).