Erich von Tschermak
Who was Erich von Tschermak?
Austrian geneticist (1871-1962)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Erich von Tschermak (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Erich Tschermak, Edler von Seysenegg (15 November 1871 – 11 October 1962) was an Austrian agronomist, botanist, and geneticist who made significant contributions to plant breeding and the rediscovery of Mendelian genetics, making him one of the leading biological scientists of the early twentieth century. Born in Vienna, he came from a notable scientific family: his father was Gustav Tschermak von Seysenegg, a mineralogist from Moravia, and his maternal grandfather was Eduard Fenzl, a botanist who taught Gregor Mendel during Mendel's student years in Vienna. This family background immersed Tschermak in natural science from an early age and shaped his career path.
Tschermak earned his doctorate from the University of Halle, Germany—now known as Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg—in 1896, focusing on agricultural and botanical sciences. After completing his doctoral studies, he conducted practical agricultural research and extensive plant hybridization experiments, which led him to independently rediscover the laws of heredity originally formulated by Gregor Mendel in the 1860s. In June 1900, Tschermak published his findings on inheritance patterns from his plant-breeding experiments, making him one of four scientists who independently rediscovered and republished Mendel's work that year. The others were Hugo de Vries, Carl Correns, and American agronomist William Jasper Spillman.
In 1901, Tschermak began teaching at the University of Agricultural Sciences Vienna and became a full professor there in 1906. He spent most of his academic career at this institution, dedicating equal effort to both theoretical genetics and applied plant breeding. His brother, Armin von Tschermak-Seysenegg, a physiologist, had a significant influence on his work in genetics, and the two shared a close professional and personal relationship throughout their careers.
Besides his theoretical contributions to genetics, Tschermak made significant practical advances in agronomy. He developed several disease-resistant crop varieties, notably wheat-rye and oat hybrids, which were directly beneficial to farmers across Central Europe. These hybrids improved resistance to disease and tough growing conditions, helping to secure food supply in an area facing significant agricultural challenges during the early and mid-twentieth century. His work effectively connected laboratory genetics with practical farming in ways that were both scientifically sound and economically valuable.
Over his long life—he lived to 90—Tschermak received many honors for his scientific work. These included the Cothenius Medal in 1938, the Goethe Medal for Art and Science in 1941, an honorary doctorate from the University of Vienna, the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art in 1958, and the Ring of Honour of the City of Vienna. He passed away in Vienna on 11 October 1962, having seen the entire development of modern genetics from its rediscovery to the discovery of the DNA double helix.
Before Fame
Erich von Tschermak was born in Vienna in 1871, at a time when natural sciences were becoming more professional across Europe. His grandfather, Eduard Fenzl, was a well-known botanist at the University of Vienna, and his father, Gustav, was a respected mineralogist, so scientific inquiry was a part of his family's everyday life. Growing up in this environment gave Tschermak the educational background and the drive to pursue a career in plant science.
He attended Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany, a leading center for agricultural and natural sciences in German-speaking countries. After earning his doctorate in 1896, he worked in agriculture, conducting hybridization experiments with peas and other plants. During this time of hands-on botanical research, he independently discovered the same patterns of inheritance that Mendel had described years earlier, leading to his significant 1900 publication.
Key Achievements
- Independently rediscovered and republished Gregor Mendel's laws of heredity in June 1900, alongside Hugo de Vries, Carl Correns, and William Jasper Spillman.
- Developed disease-resistant wheat-rye and oat hybrids that had direct practical applications for Central European agriculture.
- Appointed professor at the University of Agricultural Sciences Vienna in 1906, where he led plant genetics and breeding research for decades.
- Received the Cothenius Medal (1938) and the Goethe Medal for Art and Science (1941) in recognition of his scientific contributions.
- Awarded the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (1958) and the Ring of Honour of the City of Vienna, among other honors, for a lifetime of contributions to science.
Did You Know?
- 01.Tschermak's maternal grandfather, Eduard Fenzl, had personally taught Gregor Mendel — whose laws Tschermak would later rediscover — during Mendel's student years in Vienna.
- 02.He lived to age ninety, long enough to see genetics evolve from a rediscovered nineteenth-century curiosity into a molecular science following the discovery of the DNA double helix in 1953.
- 03.His 1900 publication on Mendelian inheritance appeared in June of that year, making him the last of the three European scientists — after Hugo de Vries and Carl Correns — to publish rediscovered Mendelian findings within that single landmark year.
- 04.His brother Armin von Tschermak-Seysenegg became a notable physiologist and was credited by Erich as a significant influence on his genetic research.
- 05.Among his practical agricultural achievements, Tschermak bred wheat-rye and oat hybrids specifically designed for disease resistance, applying Mendelian principles directly to crop improvement at a time when hybrid breeding methodology was still in its infancy.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ring of Honour of the City of Vienna | — | — |
| Cothenius Medal | 1938 | — |
| honorary doctor of the University of Vienna | — | — |
| Austrian Decoration for Science and Art | 1958 | — |
| Goethe Medal for Art and Science | 1941 | — |