Hendrik Pieter Nicolaas Muller
Encyclopedia
Hendrik Pieter Nicolaas Muller, GON
, RNL
, FRGS
(2 April 1859 in Rotterdam
- 11 August 1941 in The Hague
, Netherlands
) was a Dutch
businessman, diplomat
, world traveller
, publicist
, and philanthropist
. He was a son of Hendrik Muller Sz., a Rotterdam-based Dutch
businessman and politician, and Marie Cornelie van Rijckevorsel, member of another prominent Rotterdam based business family.
Muller started his career as a businessman, trading with East
and West Africa
. In his mid-twenties he travelled to Zanzibar
, Mozambique
, and South Africa
for business purposes, but showed himself a keen ethnographer
as well, collecting ethnographic artifacts
and writing reports about the societies and people he encountered on his way. In 1890, Muller retired from business for personal reasons, and went to Germany
to study ethnography and geography. He graduated with a Ph.D. dissertation four years later.
In 1896 he was first appointed consul
and later consul general for the Orange Free State
. Muller held this position all through the Second Boer War
and his high-profiled performance as European representative for this Boer republic won him considerable fame and notoriety, which lasted all his life. After the Treaty of Vereeniging
was signed in 1902 Muller retired to a life of travelling and writing for some years, making Muller a household name with his travelbooks. In 1919 the Dutch government appointed him envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Romania
, and later to Czechoslovakia
, where he retired in 1932. As diplomat Muller strongly promoted Dutch business interests, especially in oil and electrotechnics.
Muller was a prolific writer. Over the course of his life he published well over two hundred articles, brochures, and books about his travels through the world, about South Africa and the Boers, and about Dutch foreign policy and diplomacy, apart from a range of other subjects. Muller gathered a large fortune with well appointed private investments. He bequeathed his considerable wealth to a private fund in support of academic research and cultural heritage.
(Netherlands
) on 2 April 1859, as the third child and second son of Hendrik Muller Sz. and Marie Cornelie van Rijckevorsel. His father was a successful businessman based in Rotterdam
and trading with Africa
and the Netherlands East Indies. H.P.N. Muller’s maternal grandfather, Abram van Rijckevorsel, was the doyen of the Rotterdam merchant community in the early part of the nineteenth century. Both his father and maternal grandfather were politicians as well, liberals who staunchly defended the principle of free trade
, and both were at one time members of the Senate of the States-General of the Netherlands
.
Muller’s paternal grandfather was a German immigrant to the Netherlands and a Doopsgezind
(Mennonite) minister and professor of theology
in Amsterdam
. The Muller family was fairly prominent in the Netherlands
in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, with Christian ministers, professors of literature and history, archivists, antiquarian booksellers, statesmen and businessmen in their midst.
Muller was destined to step into his father’s footsteps and become a businessman. He first attended the private institution Delfos followed by the Hoogere Burger School (High School) in Rotterdam
, before continuing his education in Germany
, at the Hohe Real Schule in Frankfurt-am-Main, to specialise in trade and business. After finishing his studies with good results, he continued his training with internships in business firms in Liverpool
, Manchester
, and Marseilles. His first serious job came when his father called him back to Rotterdam
in 1882, to become interim manager of the Handels Compagnie Mozambique (Trading Company Mozambique), an ill-performing trading firm doing business in Mozambique
. In 1882/'83 Muller travelled to East Africa
and visited all the trading posts and establishments of the firm, changing business practices. At the end of his trip he made an extensive tour of South Africa
, visiting Natal
, Zululand
, Transvaal
, the Orange Free State
, and the Cape Colony
. On his return to Rotterdam
he advised the directors of the company on business opportunities. Subsequently he was appointed co-director of the reconstituted company, now called the Oost-Afrikaansche Compagnie (East African Company), as well as deputy manager in his father’s firm, Hendrik Muller & Co., which had important trading interests in Liberia
and elsewhere in West Africa
.
In the 1880s Muller was active for his businesses, and travelled to the Congo Conference in Berlin
in 1884, to Portugal
in 1886 and North Africa
in 1889. In the same year he succeeded his father as consul general for Liberia
in the Netherlands
, a position he would hold until 1913. After a third business journey to Africa
in 1890, now to Liberia
and the Gold Coast
, for Hendrik Muller & Co., he returned home seriously ill, and had to convalesce for months. In this period he fell out with his father and younger brother Abram Muller, about both personal and business matters. It was a personal break that would never be healed and with professional repercussions. In 1891 Muller left business for good and embarked on a totally new career.
and writing. On the basis of materials gathered on his journey to East Africa
and South Africa
in 1882/’83, he had held public lectures throughout the Netherlands
and Belgium
. He also published articles on his trip in Dutch journals
and newspapers, and collated these publications into a book titled Zuid-Afrika. It made him somewhat of a celebrity, and an expert on South Africa
and East Africa
. During his journey Muller had also collected a large number of ethnographic objects
and artefacts, on which he published a richly illustrated study in 1892, together with Joh. F. Snelleman
, curator of the Africa collection in the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde (National Museum of Ethnology) in Leiden.
Once freed from running the better part of two businesses, and financially independent, Muller went to Germany to study geography and ethnography. He attended lectures at the universities of Heidelberg
and Leipzig
before completing his doctorate
at the University of Giessen
in 1894, summa cum laude. His thesis Land und Leute zwischen Zambezi und Limpopo (Land and People between Zambezi and Limpopo) was mainly based on secondary material, rather than the materials collected and observations made by Muller himself during his time in East Africa
. This limited the originality of the study, although in its time it was appreciated as an important piece of academic work, and was also published in a commercial version.
, H.P.N. Muller settled down in The Hague
, where he was originally only occupied with his consular duties for Liberia
, his membership of the Commission for Consular Examinations (since 1890) and his writing. Early in 1896 Muller was appointed as consul for the Orange Free State
in the provinces of North and South Holland, assisting the consul general H.A.L. Hamelberg. He received the appointment on the strength of his publications about South Africa
. After Hamelberg's death later in 1896 Muller succeeded him as consul general. It was an honorary position. In the following years Muller wholeheartedly set out to work for the Orange Free State
and its interests in Europe
. His predecessor Hamelberg had not only been consul general, but had on occasion also acted as special envoy to be able to negotiate treaties and accords with foreign powers. Muller also acted as special envoy and in this capacity inter alia enrolled the Orange Free State
in the Universal Postal Union
, the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
, and the Geneva Conventions
, and negotiated treaties of friendship and trade with Germany
, Switzerland
, and the Netherlands
. He also strengthened the consular representation of the Orange Free State
in Europe
and inquired into all kinds of practical issues like a cure for rinderpest
and improved methods of irrigation
.
In 1898 Muller travelled to South Africa
, where he visited Cape Town
, the Orange Free State
, and the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek. In Pretoria
he attended the inauguration
of President Kruger and in Bloemfontein
he struck up a friendship with the newly elected President M.T. Steyn and his family. He also renewed his relations with other leading statesmen, like former President F.W. Reitz
, government secretary P.J. Blignaut
, and chairman of the Volksraad
C.H. Wessels
. In Cape Town
he had an audience with High Commissioner
Sir Alfred Milner.
Once back in the Netherlands
, the political situation in South Africa
became tense very rapidly, and Muller did all he could to propagate the cause of the Boer Republics
in the press and via diplomatic channels. Once the South African War broke out in October 1899, Muller set up an elaborate operation to support the cause of the war for the Orange Free State
. He mobilised public support in the Netherlands
, Germany
and the United States of America and had public gatherings organised. Through his many contacts with the European press Muller saw to it that the Boer cause was extensively covered in the newspapers, usually in his own words, but published in the name of the editor. His office in The Hague
was the hub of diplomatic and consular activity in this period, with several secretaries working continuously on the gathering of information and dealing with correspondence. In the war effort Muller cooperated with the Algemeen Nederlandsch Verbond in Dordrecht
, the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Vereeniging in Amsterdam
, and of course the diplomatic representative of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek in Brussels
, Dr. W.J. Leyds. Originally the relationship between Muller and Leyds was cordial, but with time it soured and turned into open animosity. Both men were strong personalities with strong convictions. The fact that Muller was only consul general and Leyds an accredited diplomat was not helpful either and neither was the fact that – at least in Muller’s opinion – the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek received much more attention than the Orange Free State
. The first time problems arose in the open was in 1900, when the Boer Republics
sent a joint Special Diplomatic Delegation to Europe and the United States
, which was ill-prepared and for which Leyds had very different ideas than Muller.
In 1901 Muller travelled to the United States
himself to mobilise support from President Theodore Roosevelt
, especially on behalf of the women and children in the British concentration camps. He also held public lectures all around the country. While visiting Mexico
, news reached Muller about the Peace of Vereeniging
, making him jobless. Muller took the opportunity to turn his American journey into an expedition. On his return to the Netherlands
in 1903 he published a book about it. In the years after the end of the South African War Muller maintained his interest in South Africa
and the Afrikaners, both personally and professionally. In 1904 he supported the Steyn family when they were in Europe
for the President’s recovery of a debilitating illness. Until his death Muller was active for the Algemeen Nederlandsch Verbond and the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Vereeniging.
, a journey that produced several books and articles after his return, including a two-part report of his travels (Azië gespiegeld; Asia mirrored). Muller also published a scientific source publication on Cambodia
and the earliest Dutch presence in French Indochina
. The French government rewarded him for it with a knighthood in the Légion d'Honneur
for the latter. The French colony Annam
made Muller a knight in the Order of the Dragon for his contributions to the history of Vietnam.
Muller's Asian trip was comprehensive. He visited British India and Ceylon
, Burma, Malaysia and the Philippines
and French Indochina
, travelled extensively through the Dutch East Indies
, and returned via Japan
, Korea
– where he had an audience with the last Korean emperor –, Manchuria
, China
, and Siberia
. Muller's visit to Japan
triggered a lively interest in this country and its economic development potential. Back in the Netherlands
he presented his views on the country in several speeches, brochures, and articles, mainly under the auspices of the Comité Nederland-Japan (Dutch-Japanese Committee).
, Muller's career took a new turn. The Dutch government appointed him government commissioner in charge of one of the main Belgian Refugee Camps in the Netherlands. Muller was charged with the transfer of the camp from a make-shift army encampment in Oldebroek
to a proper refugee camp with full provisions in Nunspeet
. He took to the job with great enthusiasm, but resigned a year later, declaring that he had attained the goals he had set himself on his appointment. Actually the resignation came in a cloud of controversy around his person and policies. At the end of World War I the Dutch prime minister did acknowledge the high quality of Muller’s work in setting up the camps and bringing and maintaining order and human dignity under very trying circumstances. Apart from his position as member of the Consular Examinations Commission, this position was the only Dutch government appointment Muller held inside the Netherlands.
From the 1890s onwards, Muller had published with great regularity about the importance of a proper Dutch consular service to promote the Dutch mercantile interests around the world. In his articles he forcefully advanced the idea that the consular and diplomatic services should be merged and professionalised. In his publications Muller also strongly propagated a more active role of the Netherlands
in international affairs
. In this vain, in 1919, he published an article on the history and geography of Spitsbergen
(Svalbard
) and the necessity for the Dutch government to defend its historic claims on the islands. A year later, the Dutch government became a signatory to the Spitsbergen Treaty.
In 1919, now already sixty years old, he got the chance to put his preachings on Dutch foreign policy into practice. In that year the Dutch government appointed him Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
to Romania
, a country in the throes of political and economic transformation. The Dutch had had important business interests in the country, especially in petroleum
. Muller stayed here until early 1924 when he was appointed envoy to Czechoslovakia
. In Prague
he was also involved in Dutch business affairs, inter alia looking after the interests of the Dutch electrotechnical firm Philips
.
He resigned his post in 1932 after being requested to step back by the Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs, who wished to free some senior diplomatic posts for younger diplomats waiting to be appointed envoy. Muller decided not take his pension, allowing him to keep his title of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
until his death.
From an early age Muller was interested in Dutch history, especially in the great national achievements of the Dutch during the centuries. During his lifetime Muller translated his interests in several concrete projects.
In line with his historical interests he initiated the erection of a statue for the murdered Grand Pensionary
of Holland, Johan de Witt
(1625-1672). The statue was designed and made by the Dutch sculptor Frederik Engel Jeltsema. The unveiling in The Hague
on 12 June 1918 was a national event. The actual unveiling was done by Queen Wilhelmina
, with several ministers in attendance. The statue stands close to the place where De Witt and his brother Cornelis
were killed by a mob in 1672. On the side of the socle a text is engraved which - in translation - reads: 'Leader and servant of the Republic, designer of it most powerful fleets, defender of the freedom of the seas
, caretaker of the State's coffers, mathematician. He was a perfect Dutchman.' Muller had an important hand in the formulation of the text.
Muller funded the erection of a plaque in honour of the Dutch seventeenth-century admiral
Maarten Harpertsz. Tromp in the newly-built City Hall
of his birthplace Rotterdam
.
and retired to his house in The Hague
. He remained involved in cultural and academic activities, organised his papers, and kept a keen interest in South African affairs. In the last years of his life he was honoured in several ways, among others with a honorary doctorate in law from the University of South Africa
, a bust in the hall of the Eeufeesgebou of the University of the Free State
, with a copy in the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde (National Museum of Ethnology) in Leiden, and an honorary diner party by the Royal Geographical Society
in London
. Without children and never fully reconciled with his family, Muller left almost his complete estate to the Dr. Hendrik Muller’s Vaderlandsch Fonds for the support of academic research and cultural heritage. Finally his health failed more and more and H.P.N. Muller died in his house in The Hague
on 11 August 1941. He was buried in the cemetery of Oud Eik en Duinen in The Hague
in a grand ceremony, with the Dutch flag covering the coffin and the national anthem
being played, in defiance of the German Nazi occupation and as a – somewhat old-fashioned – celebration of Dutch cultural identity
. Among the attendants were several former government ministers and high-ranking military officers, university professors, former diplomats, representatives of cultural and scientific organisations, and friends from his South African period and after.
During his lifetime H.P.N. Muller was well respected for his work. He was extensively decorated by almost all the countries he worked for or in, in many cases with the highest distinction. He was made a Knight Grand Cross
in military and civilian orders of Portugal
, Liberia
, Romania
, Bulgaria
, Serbia
, Czechoslovakia
and the Netherlands
, was commander of the French Legion of Honour, and knight in orders of Liberia
, Annam and the Netherlands
. Apart from having his bust placed in the University of the Free State, the Bloemfontein municipal authorities named a street after him.
Although highly-decorated, honoured and well respected for his work, Muller was not an easy person. This shows through in a consistently bad press he received during his lifetime and after, which highlights his eccentricities and his at times volatile character.
Foreign 1897: Grand Commander (Grand Cross) in the Liberian Humane Order of African Redemption
: Grand Cordon in the Order of the Rising Sun
of Japan
1921: Grand Cross in the Order of Civil Merit
of Bulgaria
1922: Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown
of Romania
1922: Grand Cross in the Order of the Star
of Romania
1922: Grand Cross in the Order of St. Sava
of Yugoslavia
1932: Grand Cross in the Order of the White Lion
of Czechoslovakia
1890: Knight Commander in the Liberian Humane Order of African Redemption
of Liberia
1929: Commander in the Legion of Honor of France
: Knight 1st class in the Order of St. Anna
of Russia
: Knight 3rd class in the Order of the Dragon of Annam
: Knight in the Order of Léopold
of Belgium
: Knight in the Order of Christ
of Portugal
were published secretly, often under another journalist's or newspaper editor's name, in order to maximise the public relations effect.
This bibliography only lists Muller's main book publications and some key articles.
Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
, RNL
Order of the Dutch Lion
The Order of the Netherlands Lion is an order of the Netherlands which was first created on 29 September 1815 by King William I of the Netherlands....
, FRGS
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
(2 April 1859 in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
- 11 August 1941 in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
businessman, 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...
, world traveller
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
, publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
, and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He was a son of Hendrik Muller Sz., a Rotterdam-based Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
businessman and politician, and Marie Cornelie van Rijckevorsel, member of another prominent Rotterdam based business family.
Muller started his career as a businessman, trading with East
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
and West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. In his mid-twenties he travelled to Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for business purposes, but showed himself a keen ethnographer
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
as well, collecting ethnographic artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
and writing reports about the societies and people he encountered on his way. In 1890, Muller retired from business for personal reasons, and went to Germany
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...
to study ethnography and geography. He graduated with a Ph.D. dissertation four years later.
In 1896 he was first appointed consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
and later consul general for the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
. Muller held this position all through the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and his high-profiled performance as European representative for this Boer republic won him considerable fame and notoriety, which lasted all his life. After the Treaty of Vereeniging
Treaty of Vereeniging
The Treaty of Vereeniging was the peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the South African War between the South African Republic and the Republic of the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the British Empire on the other.This settlement provided for the end of hostilities and...
was signed in 1902 Muller retired to a life of travelling and writing for some years, making Muller a household name with his travelbooks. In 1919 the Dutch government appointed him envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, and later to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, where he retired in 1932. As diplomat Muller strongly promoted Dutch business interests, especially in oil and electrotechnics.
Muller was a prolific writer. Over the course of his life he published well over two hundred articles, brochures, and books about his travels through the world, about South Africa and the Boers, and about Dutch foreign policy and diplomacy, apart from a range of other subjects. Muller gathered a large fortune with well appointed private investments. He bequeathed his considerable wealth to a private fund in support of academic research and cultural heritage.
Early life as businessman
Hendrik Pieter Nicolaas Muller was born in RotterdamRotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
(Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) on 2 April 1859, as the third child and second son of Hendrik Muller Sz. and Marie Cornelie van Rijckevorsel. His father was a successful businessman based in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and trading with Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the Netherlands East Indies. H.P.N. Muller’s maternal grandfather, Abram van Rijckevorsel, was the doyen of the Rotterdam merchant community in the early part of the nineteenth century. Both his father and maternal grandfather were politicians as well, liberals who staunchly defended the principle of free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
, and both were at one time members of the Senate of the States-General of the Netherlands
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
.
Muller’s paternal grandfather was a German immigrant to the Netherlands and a Doopsgezind
Mennonite Church in the Netherlands
The Mennonite Church in the Netherlands, or Algemene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit, is a body of Mennonite Christians in the Netherlands.The Mennonites are named for Menno Simons , a Dutch Roman Catholic priest from the Province of Friesland who converted to Anabaptism around 1536...
(Mennonite) minister and professor of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. The Muller family was fairly prominent in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, with Christian ministers, professors of literature and history, archivists, antiquarian booksellers, statesmen and businessmen in their midst.
Muller was destined to step into his father’s footsteps and become a businessman. He first attended the private institution Delfos followed by the Hoogere Burger School (High School) in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, before continuing his education in Germany
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...
, at the Hohe Real Schule in Frankfurt-am-Main, to specialise in trade and business. After finishing his studies with good results, he continued his training with internships in business firms in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and Marseilles. His first serious job came when his father called him back to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in 1882, to become interim manager of the Handels Compagnie Mozambique (Trading Company Mozambique), an ill-performing trading firm doing business in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
. In 1882/'83 Muller travelled to East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
and visited all the trading posts and establishments of the firm, changing business practices. At the end of his trip he made an extensive tour of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, visiting Natal
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
, Zululand
Zulu Kingdom
The Zulu Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or, rather imprecisely, Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa that extended along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to Pongola River in the north....
, Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
, the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
, and the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
. On his return to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
he advised the directors of the company on business opportunities. Subsequently he was appointed co-director of the reconstituted company, now called the Oost-Afrikaansche Compagnie (East African Company), as well as deputy manager in his father’s firm, Hendrik Muller & Co., which had important trading interests in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and elsewhere in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
.
In the 1880s Muller was active for his businesses, and travelled to the Congo Conference in Berlin
Berlin
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...
in 1884, to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 1886 and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
in 1889. In the same year he succeeded his father as consul general for Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, a position he would hold until 1913. After a third business journey to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
in 1890, now to Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and the Gold Coast
Gold Coast (region)
The Gold Coast was the region of West Africa which is now the nation of Ghana. Early uses of the term refer literally to the coast and not the interior. It was not until the 19th century that the term came to refer to areas that are far from the coast...
, for Hendrik Muller & Co., he returned home seriously ill, and had to convalesce for months. In this period he fell out with his father and younger brother Abram Muller, about both personal and business matters. It was a personal break that would never be healed and with professional repercussions. In 1891 Muller left business for good and embarked on a totally new career.
Ethnographer and geographer
Already in the 1880s, Muller had dabbled in ethnographyEthnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
and writing. On the basis of materials gathered on his journey to East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1882/’83, he had held public lectures throughout the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. He also published articles on his trip in Dutch journals
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
and newspapers, and collated these publications into a book titled Zuid-Afrika. It made him somewhat of a celebrity, and an expert on South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. During his journey Muller had also collected a large number of ethnographic objects
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
and artefacts, on which he published a richly illustrated study in 1892, together with Joh. F. Snelleman
Johannes François Snelleman
Johannes François Snelleman was a Dutch zoologist, orientalist, ethnographer and museum director. He was a son of Christiaan Snelleman and Sara Lacombe. Snelleman was married three times, to Josepha Hendrika Dupont , Catharina Johanna Elisabeth Augusta Inckel , and Theodora Maria Beun Johannes...
, curator of the Africa collection in the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde (National Museum of Ethnology) in Leiden.
Once freed from running the better part of two businesses, and financially independent, Muller went to Germany to study geography and ethnography. He attended lectures at the universities of Heidelberg
Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
The Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg is a public research university located in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386, it is the oldest university in Germany and was the third university established in the Holy Roman Empire. Heidelberg has been a coeducational institution...
and Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
before completing his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
at the University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
in 1894, summa cum laude. His thesis Land und Leute zwischen Zambezi und Limpopo (Land and People between Zambezi and Limpopo) was mainly based on secondary material, rather than the materials collected and observations made by Muller himself during his time in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. This limited the originality of the study, although in its time it was appreciated as an important piece of academic work, and was also published in a commercial version.
Consul general for the Orange Free State
After his return to the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, H.P.N. Muller settled down in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, where he was originally only occupied with his consular duties for Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, his membership of the Commission for Consular Examinations (since 1890) and his writing. Early in 1896 Muller was appointed as consul for the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
in the provinces of North and South Holland, assisting the consul general H.A.L. Hamelberg. He received the appointment on the strength of his publications about South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. After Hamelberg's death later in 1896 Muller succeeded him as consul general. It was an honorary position. In the following years Muller wholeheartedly set out to work for the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
and its interests in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. His predecessor Hamelberg had not only been consul general, but had on occasion also acted as special envoy to be able to negotiate treaties and accords with foreign powers. Muller also acted as special envoy and in this capacity inter alia enrolled the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
in the Universal Postal Union
Universal Postal Union
The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
, the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, signed in Paris, France, on March 20, 1883, was one of the first intellectual property treaties. It established a Union for the protection of industrial property...
, and the Geneva Conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
, and negotiated treaties of friendship and trade with Germany
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...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He also strengthened the consular representation of the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and inquired into all kinds of practical issues like a cure for rinderpest
Rinderpest
Rinderpest was an infectious viral disease of cattle, domestic buffalo, and some other species of even-toed ungulates, including buffaloes, large antelopes and deer, giraffes, wildebeests and warthogs. After a global eradication campaign, the last confirmed case of rinderpest was diagnosed in 2001...
and improved methods of irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
.
In 1898 Muller travelled to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where he visited Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
, and the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek. In Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
he attended the inauguration
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
of President Kruger and in Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
he struck up a friendship with the newly elected President M.T. Steyn and his family. He also renewed his relations with other leading statesmen, like former President F.W. Reitz
Francis William Reitz
Francis William Reitz, Jr. was a South African lawyer, politician, statesman, publicist and poet, member of parliament of the Cape Colony, Chief Justice and fifth State President of the Orange Free State, State Secretary of the South African Republic at the time of the Second Boer War, and the...
, government secretary P.J. Blignaut
Pieter Jeremias Blignaut
-External links:...
, and chairman of the Volksraad
Volksraad
The Volksraad was the parliament of the former South African Republic , which existed from 1857 to 1902 in part of what is now the South Africa. The body ceased to exist after the British victory in the Second Anglo-Boer War. The Volksraad sat in session in Ou Raadsaal in Church Square, Pretoria...
C.H. Wessels
Cornelius Hermanus Wessels
Sir Cornelius Hermanus Wessels was a South African politician and statesman....
. In Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
he had an audience with High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
Sir Alfred Milner.
Once back in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the political situation in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
became tense very rapidly, and Muller did all he could to propagate the cause of the Boer Republics
Boer Republics
The Boer Republics were independent self-governed republics created by the northeastern frontier branch of the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of the north eastern Cape Province and their descendants in mainly the northern and eastern parts of what is now the country of...
in the press and via diplomatic channels. Once the South African War broke out in October 1899, Muller set up an elaborate operation to support the cause of the war for the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
. He mobilised public support in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Germany
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...
and the United States of America and had public gatherings organised. Through his many contacts with the European press Muller saw to it that the Boer cause was extensively covered in the newspapers, usually in his own words, but published in the name of the editor. His office in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
was the hub of diplomatic and consular activity in this period, with several secretaries working continuously on the gathering of information and dealing with correspondence. In the war effort Muller cooperated with the Algemeen Nederlandsch Verbond in Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
, the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Vereeniging in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, and of course the diplomatic representative of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Dr. W.J. Leyds. Originally the relationship between Muller and Leyds was cordial, but with time it soured and turned into open animosity. Both men were strong personalities with strong convictions. The fact that Muller was only consul general and Leyds an accredited diplomat was not helpful either and neither was the fact that – at least in Muller’s opinion – the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek received much more attention than the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
. The first time problems arose in the open was in 1900, when the Boer Republics
Boer Republics
The Boer Republics were independent self-governed republics created by the northeastern frontier branch of the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of the north eastern Cape Province and their descendants in mainly the northern and eastern parts of what is now the country of...
sent a joint Special Diplomatic Delegation to Europe and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which was ill-prepared and for which Leyds had very different ideas than Muller.
In 1901 Muller travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
himself to mobilise support from President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, especially on behalf of the women and children in the British concentration camps. He also held public lectures all around the country. While visiting Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, news reached Muller about the Peace of Vereeniging
Treaty of Vereeniging
The Treaty of Vereeniging was the peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the South African War between the South African Republic and the Republic of the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the British Empire on the other.This settlement provided for the end of hostilities and...
, making him jobless. Muller took the opportunity to turn his American journey into an expedition. On his return to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1903 he published a book about it. In the years after the end of the South African War Muller maintained his interest in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the Afrikaners, both personally and professionally. In 1904 he supported the Steyn family when they were in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for the President’s recovery of a debilitating illness. Until his death Muller was active for the Algemeen Nederlandsch Verbond and the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Vereeniging.
Travel through Asia
Between 1907 and 1909 Muller travelled through AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, a journey that produced several books and articles after his return, including a two-part report of his travels (Azië gespiegeld; Asia mirrored). Muller also published a scientific source publication on Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and the earliest Dutch presence in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
. The French government rewarded him for it with a knighthood in the Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
for the latter. The French colony Annam
Annam (French Colony)
Annam was a French protectorate encompassing the central region of Vietnam. Vietnamese were subsequently referred to as "Annamites." Nationalist writers adopted the word "Vietnam" in the late 1920s. The general public embraced the word "Vietnam" during the revolution of August 1945...
made Muller a knight in the Order of the Dragon for his contributions to the history of Vietnam.
Muller's Asian trip was comprehensive. He visited British India and Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Burma, Malaysia and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
, travelled extensively through the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
, and returned via Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
– where he had an audience with the last Korean emperor –, Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. Muller's visit to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
triggered a lively interest in this country and its economic development potential. Back in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
he presented his views on the country in several speeches, brochures, and articles, mainly under the auspices of the Comité Nederland-Japan (Dutch-Japanese Committee).
Dutch government official and diplomat
In 1914, at the outbreak of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Muller's career took a new turn. The Dutch government appointed him government commissioner in charge of one of the main Belgian Refugee Camps in the Netherlands. Muller was charged with the transfer of the camp from a make-shift army encampment in Oldebroek
Oldebroek
Oldebroek is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands and it has almost 6000 inhabitants.-Population centres:Bovenveen, Eekt, Hattemerbroek, Kerkdorp, 't Loo, Mullegen, Noordeinde, Oldebroek, Oosterwolde, Posthoorn, Voskuil and Wezep.-Sport:...
to a proper refugee camp with full provisions in Nunspeet
Nunspeet
Nunspeet is a municipality and town in the central Netherlands. It has been an agricultural site since prehistoric times. It contains a number of villages, like Oosteinde, Westeinde, Hulshorst, Elspeet, Vierhouten and Hoophuizen. Nunspeet has a vivid historical foundation, called Nuwenspete...
. He took to the job with great enthusiasm, but resigned a year later, declaring that he had attained the goals he had set himself on his appointment. Actually the resignation came in a cloud of controversy around his person and policies. At the end of World War I the Dutch prime minister did acknowledge the high quality of Muller’s work in setting up the camps and bringing and maintaining order and human dignity under very trying circumstances. Apart from his position as member of the Consular Examinations Commission, this position was the only Dutch government appointment Muller held inside the Netherlands.
From the 1890s onwards, Muller had published with great regularity about the importance of a proper Dutch consular service to promote the Dutch mercantile interests around the world. In his articles he forcefully advanced the idea that the consular and diplomatic services should be merged and professionalised. In his publications Muller also strongly propagated a more active role of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in international affairs
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
. In this vain, in 1919, he published an article on the history and geography of Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
(Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
) and the necessity for the Dutch government to defend its historic claims on the islands. A year later, the Dutch government became a signatory to the Spitsbergen Treaty.
Diplomatic rank
Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...
to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, a country in the throes of political and economic transformation. The Dutch had had important business interests in the country, especially in petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
. Muller stayed here until early 1924 when he was appointed envoy to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. In Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
he was also involved in Dutch business affairs, inter alia looking after the interests of the Dutch electrotechnical firm Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
.
He resigned his post in 1932 after being requested to step back by the Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs, who wished to free some senior diplomatic posts for younger diplomats waiting to be appointed envoy. Muller decided not take his pension, allowing him to keep his title of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Diplomatic rank
Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...
until his death.
Dutch history and heritage
Grand Pensionary
The Grand Pensionary was the most important Dutch official during the time of the United Provinces. In theory he was only a civil servant of the Estates of the dominant province among the Seven United Provinces: the county of Holland...
of Holland, Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt, heer van Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp and IJsselveere was a key figure in Dutch politics in the mid 17th century, when its flourishing sea trade in a period of globalization made the United Provinces a leading European power during the Dutch Golden Age...
(1625-1672). The statue was designed and made by the Dutch sculptor Frederik Engel Jeltsema. The unveiling in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
on 12 June 1918 was a national event. The actual unveiling was done by Queen Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
, with several ministers in attendance. The statue stands close to the place where De Witt and his brother Cornelis
Cornelis de Witt
Cornelis de Witt was a Dutch politician.-Biography:Cornelis de Witt was a member of the old Dutch patrician family De Witt. He was born on 15 June 1623 in Dordrecht, Holland, Dutch Republic...
were killed by a mob in 1672. On the side of the socle a text is engraved which - in translation - reads: 'Leader and servant of the Republic, designer of it most powerful fleets, defender of the freedom of the seas
Freedom of the seas
Freedom of the seas is a principle in the international law and law of the sea. It stresses freedom to navigate the oceans. It also disapproves of war fought in water. The freedom is to be breached only in a necessary international agreement....
, caretaker of the State's coffers, mathematician. He was a perfect Dutchman.' Muller had an important hand in the formulation of the text.
Muller funded the erection of a plaque in honour of the Dutch seventeenth-century admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Maarten Harpertsz. Tromp in the newly-built City Hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
of his birthplace Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
.
Retirement
In the years after 1932 Muller travelled a little around EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and retired to his house in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. He remained involved in cultural and academic activities, organised his papers, and kept a keen interest in South African affairs. In the last years of his life he was honoured in several ways, among others with a honorary doctorate in law from the University of South Africa
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
, a bust in the hall of the Eeufeesgebou of the University of the Free State
University of the Free State
The University of the Free State is situated in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State, South Africa. The university also has a satellite campus in Qwaqwa that was, until 2003, part of the University of the North.-Academic Divisions:...
, with a copy in the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde (National Museum of Ethnology) in Leiden, and an honorary diner party by the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Without children and never fully reconciled with his family, Muller left almost his complete estate to the Dr. Hendrik Muller’s Vaderlandsch Fonds for the support of academic research and cultural heritage. Finally his health failed more and more and H.P.N. Muller died in his house in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
on 11 August 1941. He was buried in the cemetery of Oud Eik en Duinen in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in a grand ceremony, with the Dutch flag covering the coffin and the national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
being played, in defiance of the German Nazi occupation and as a – somewhat old-fashioned – celebration of Dutch cultural identity
Cultural identity
Cultural identity is the identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as one is influenced by one's belonging to a group or culture. Cultural identity is similar to and has overlaps with, but is not synonymous with, identity politics....
. Among the attendants were several former government ministers and high-ranking military officers, university professors, former diplomats, representatives of cultural and scientific organisations, and friends from his South African period and after.
During his lifetime H.P.N. Muller was well respected for his work. He was extensively decorated by almost all the countries he worked for or in, in many cases with the highest distinction. He was made a Knight Grand Cross
Knight Grand Cross
Knight Grand Cross is the most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are obsolete. The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' or 'Dame' before his or her name...
in military and civilian orders of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, was commander of the French Legion of Honour, and knight in orders of Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, Annam and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Apart from having his bust placed in the University of the Free State, the Bloemfontein municipal authorities named a street after him.
Although highly-decorated, honoured and well respected for his work, Muller was not an easy person. This shows through in a consistently bad press he received during his lifetime and after, which highlights his eccentricities and his at times volatile character.
Memberships
- Fellow of the Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
of Great Britain - Member and honorary member of the Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap (Royal Netherlands Geographical Society)
- Member and Director of the Hollandsche Akademie van Wetenschappen
- Member of the Maatschappij der Nederlandsche Letterkunde (Netherlands Literary Society)
- Member and board member of the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Vereeniging (Netherlands - South African Society)
- Honorary member of the Nederlandsche Vereeniging voor den Volkszang (Dutch Society for the Propagation of Community Singing)
- Member of the freemason's lodge Hiram Abiff in The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
(1897-?) (possibly only briefly) - Member of the Nieuwe of Littéraire Sociëteit De Witte (New or Literary Club De 'Witte) in The Hague 1894-1941
Pseudonyms
(either with or without 'Dr.' added)- Hendrik Pieter Nicolaas Muller
- Hendrik P.N. Muller
- Hendrik Muller
- Henk Muller (informal use)
- Hendrik Muller van Rijckevorsel (1880s-1900s; added surname of his mother)
- Hendrik de Warssel van Cingelshouck (since 1911; pen-name)
- Hendrik Muller van Werendycke (since c. 1919 while acting as Dutch envoy)
Academic titles
- Doctor of PhilosophyDoctor of PhilosophyDoctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
summa cum laudeLatin honorsLatin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
(geographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, ethnographyEthnographyEthnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
), University of GiessenUniversity of GiessenThe University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , 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...
, 1894. - Honorary DoctorHonorary degreeAn honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
of LawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, University of South AfricaUniversity of South AfricaThe University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
, PretoriaPretoriaPretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, 6 April 1932.
Honours
Domestic- Grand Cross in the Order of Orange-NassauOrder of Orange-NassauThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
of the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(1935) - Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion
Foreign 1897: Grand Commander (Grand Cross) in the Liberian Humane Order of African Redemption
Liberian Humane Order of African Redemption
Liberian Humane Order of African Redemption was founded on January 13, 1879 during the presidency of Anthony W. Gardiner. It is awarded for humanitarian work in Liberia, for acts supporting and assisting the Liberian nation and to individuals who have played a prominent role in the emancipation of...
: Grand Cordon in the Order of the Rising Sun
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
1921: Grand Cross in the Order of Civil Merit
Orders, decorations, and medals of Bulgaria
Orders, decorations and medals of Bulgaria are regulated by the law on the Orders and Medals of the Republic Of Bulgaria of 29 May 2003.The National Military History Museum Of Bulgaria in Sofia currently has over 150 Bulgarian Orders in the collection, which it has acquired over 85 years in...
of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
1922: Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown
Order of the Crown (Romania)
The Order of the Crown is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania...
of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
1922: Grand Cross in the Order of the Star
Order of the Star of Romania
The Order of the Star of Romania is Romania's highest civil order. It is awarded by the President of Romania...
of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
1922: Grand Cross in the Order of St. Sava
Order of St. Sava
The Order of St. Sava was a decoration instituted by the order King Milan I of Serbia in 1883. The Order of Saint Sava originally was established to recognize civilians for meritorious achievements in the arts and sciences. In 1914 a change was made permitting military personnel to receive the...
of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
1932: Grand Cross in the Order of the White Lion
Order of the White Lion
The Order of the White Lion is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners....
of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
1890: Knight Commander in the Liberian Humane Order of African Redemption
Liberian Humane Order of African Redemption
Liberian Humane Order of African Redemption was founded on January 13, 1879 during the presidency of Anthony W. Gardiner. It is awarded for humanitarian work in Liberia, for acts supporting and assisting the Liberian nation and to individuals who have played a prominent role in the emancipation of...
of Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
1929: Commander in the Legion of Honor of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
: Knight 1st class in the Order of St. Anna
Order of St. Anna
The Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
: Knight 3rd class in the Order of the Dragon of Annam
Annam (French Colony)
Annam was a French protectorate encompassing the central region of Vietnam. Vietnamese were subsequently referred to as "Annamites." Nationalist writers adopted the word "Vietnam" in the late 1920s. The general public embraced the word "Vietnam" during the revolution of August 1945...
: Knight in the Order of Léopold
Order of Léopold
The Order of Leopold is one of the three Belgian national honorary orders of knighthood. It is the highest order of Belgium and is named in honour of King Leopold I. It consists of a military, a maritime and a civilian division...
of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
: Knight in the Order of Christ
Order of Christ (Portugal)
The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...
of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Concise bibliography
During his life, H.P.N. Muller published well over 200 books, articles, columns, and papers. Many of these - especially his newspaper articles - were published anonymously. Many of the (propaganda) articles he wrote about the South African War when he was consul general for the Orange Free StateOrange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
were published secretly, often under another journalist's or newspaper editor's name, in order to maximise the public relations effect.
This bibliography only lists Muller's main book publications and some key articles.
- Muller, Hendrik P.N., Zuid-Afrika. Reisherinneringen van Hendrik P.N. Muller. De Delagoa-Baai. – Natal. – De Transvaal. – De Diamantvelden. – De Oranje-Vrijstaat. – De Kaapkolonie (Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff, 1890).
- Muller, Hendrik P.N. & Joh. F. Snelleman, Industrie des Cafres du sud-est de l’Afrique: collection recueillie sur les lieux et notice ethnographique (Leiden: Brill z.j. [1892]). With addition: Chansons du Zambèse.
- Muller, Hendrik Pieter Nicolaas, Land und Volk zwischen Zambesi und Limpopo: Abschnitte. Dissertation Giessen (Giessen: Emil Roth 1894).
- Muller, Hendrik P.N., Land und Leute zwischen Zambesi und Limpopo (Giessen: Roth z.j. [1894]). Commercial edition of the dissertation.
- Muller, H.P.N., De Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek en Rhodesia (Den Haag: Van Stockum 1896).
- Muller, Hendr. P.N., Oom Paul (president Kruger). Mannen en vrouwen van beteekenis in onze dagen; [serie 27], afl. 6 (Haarlem: Tjeenk Willink 1896).
- Muller, Dr. Hendrik P.N., Door het land van Columbus: een reisverhaal (Haarlem: De Erven F. Bohn 1905).
- Muller, Dr. Hendrik P.N., Oude tijden in den Oranje-Vrijstaat. Naar Mr. H.A.L. Hamelberg’s nagelaten papieren beschreven (Leiden: E.J. Brill 1907).
- Muller, Hendrik P.N., Azië gespiegeld: reisverhaal en studiën. Deel I: De Philippijnen, Siam, Fransch Indo-China, Korea, Mantsjoerije, de Siberische weg: reisverhaal en studiën (Utrecht: Honig 1912).
- Muller, H.P.N., ‘Did Holland sell the Cape?’, Tijdschrift van het Koninklijk Nederlands Aardrijkskundig Genootschap 2e serie, deel 33 (1916), afl. 5, 661-664.
- Muller, Hendrik, ‘Onze vaderen in China’, De Gids 81 (1917).
- Muller, Hendrik P.N., Azië gespiegeld: reisverhaal en studiën. Deel II: Malakka en China: studiën en ervaringen (Leiden: Sijthoff 1918).
- Muller, Hendrik P.N., Zij en Wij. Met ‘beginselverklaring en perscirculaire der Japansche Commissie’ en met een voorwoord door J.H. Abendanon. Uitgaven van de Japansche Commissie der Vereeniging tot Verbreiding van Kennis over Nederland in den Vreemde (Amsterdam: E. van der Vecht, 1918).
- Muller, Hendrik, ‘Nederland’s historische rechten op Spitsbergen’, Tijdschrift van het Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap 2e serie, deel 34 (1919) no. 1, 94-104.
Literature
- Doortmont, Michel R., ‘H.P.N. Muller als etnograaf en vroege Nederlandse Afrikanist’, in: E.O.G. Haitsma Mulier, L.H. Maas & J. Vogel (eds.), Het beeld in the spiegel. Historiografische verkenningen. Liber amicorum voor Piet Blaas (Hilversum: Verloren 2000) 39-56. Digital version: H.P.N. Muller als etnograaf en vroege Nederlandse Afrikanist (H.P.N. Muller as ethnographer and early Dutch Africanist; in Dutch).
- Doortmont, Michel R., The collection Dr. Hendrik P.N. Muller in the Provincial Archives of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa (Acquisitions No. 160). A reconstructed catalogue and research guide (Groningen: DoortmontWEB 2008). ISBN 978-90367-3358-8.
- Marken, J.C. van, 'Ter nagedachtenis van Dr. Hendrik P.N. Muller', http://kranten.kb.nl/Exe/ZyNET.exe/1941_08_16_2_02.txt?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=Koninklijke+Bibliotheek&Index=het%20Centrum%20%281910-1930%29%7Cde%20NRC%20%281910-1930%29%7Chet%20Vaderland%20%281920-1945%29%7Chet%20Volk%20%281910-1920%29&Query=hendrik%20AND%20muller&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=1&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=Datum%5E%3E19410801%3A%3C19410829%7CEditie%5E&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&UseQField=Datum&File=E%3A%5CZYDATA%5CDATA%5CGADH01%5CVADERLAND%5CEXPORT%5CTXT%5C236%5F237%5C1941%5F08%5F16%5F2%5F02.txt&User=anonymous&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=n%7C-&MaximumDocuments=20&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r65g4/r65g4/x150y150g16/i360&Display=hpfr&DefSeekPage=f&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1&SeekPage=fHet Vaderland 16 August 1941].
- [Muller, Hendrik & C.E. Muller], Het geslacht Muller (Müller) uit Gerolsheim (n.p. n.d. [1951]).
- Muller, Hendrik, Muller, Een Rotterdams zeehandelaar: Hendrik Muller Szn. (1819-1898) (Schiedam: Interbook International B.V. 1977).
- Muller, H.P.N. & Kersten, Carool, Dr. Muller's Asian Journey. Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Yunnan (1907-1909), translated and introduced by Carool Kersten (Bangkok: White Lotus 2004). ISBN 974-4800-70-4.
- M[uller], J.W., Das Geslecht Müller aus Gerolsheim (n.p. [Oegstgeest] n.d. [1926]).
- Oudschans Dentz, F., [Obituary], Neerlandia. Maandblad van het Algemeen Nederlandsch Verbond 45 (1941) 108-109.
- Rees, P. van, [Obituary], Ons Leger 27 (1941) 386-389.
- Schutte, G.J., Muller, Hendrik Pieter Nicolaas (1859-1941), in Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland. 20-02-2007.
- Spies, F.J. du Toit, Hendrik Pieter Nicolaas Muller. Rotterdam, 2 April 1859 - 's-Gravenhage, 11 Augustus 1941, Levensberichten van de Maatschappij der Nederlandsche Letterkunde te Leiden 1943, 96-103
- Spies, F.J. du Toit, 'n Nederlander in diens van die Oranje-Vrystaat. Uit die nagelate papiere van Dr. Hendrik P.N. Muller, oud-konsul-generaal van die Oranje-Vrystaat (Amsterdam: N.V. Swets & Zeitlinger 1946).
- [Obituary], Zuid-Afrika. Maandblad voor de cultureele en economische betrekkingen tusschen Nederland en Zuid-Afrika 18 (1941) 79-80
- [Obituary], Die Huisgenoot 5 December 1941.
- [Obituary], Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant 1 April 1934.