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Otto Frankel
Sir Otto Herzberg Frankel FRS FAA FRSNZ (4 November 1900, Vienna – 21 November 1998, Canberra) was an Austrian-born New Zealand and Australian geneticist renowned for his pioneering work in plant genetics and conservation. Frankel was among the first scientists in the 1960s and 1970s to raise awareness about the critical importance of preserving plant biodiversity and the risks associated with biodiversity loss.
His research and advocacy laid the groundwork for modern conservation genetics, influencing global efforts to protect endangered plant species and ecosystems. Frankel's distinguished career spanned several decades, during which he made significant contributions to both theoretical and applied genetics, earning him numerous accolades, including fellowship in the Royal Society (FRS) and the Australian Academy of Science (FAA). His legacy continues to inspire conservationists and geneticists worldwide.
Otto Herzberg-Frankel was the third of four sons of a prominent and wealthy lawyer. Otto's paternal grandfather, a well-known author, added Herzberg from his mother's name to become Herzberg-Frankel. After his father's death, Otto dropped the hyphen.
Ludwig Herzberg-Frankel, Otto's father, was a highly successful barrister in Vienna. He was related to Lewis Namier, who played a significant role in Otto's career.
Max, Otto's oldest brother (1895–1983), qualified in law but after joining Otto in New Zealand in 1938 he became an accountant. Theo (1897–1986), who had to flee Vienna hurriedly in 1938, became a progressive paper manufacturer in Great Britain, establishing the Scottish Pulp and Paper Mills enterprise in the Scottish Highlands. Paul (1903–1992) also moved to Britain, from Poland in 1937. An economist by training, he founded Petroleum Economics Ltd. in 1955 and became a distinguished international authority on the oil industry.
In Otto's early years, his father employed a tutor for his sons as well as a French governess. From 1910 to 1918 Otto attended the Piaristen Staatsgymnasiums Wien VIII, where he met Karl Popper. Otto claimed to have had no education, as this was a classical rather than a modern school, with poor mathematics and next to no science but eight years of Latin and four of Greek. None of his teachers inspired him.
Frankel married twice. His first wife was Mathilde Donsbach (1899–1989). They married in the mid-1920s and divorced in 1937. In 1939, he married Margaret Anderson (1902–1997); the engineer John Anderson was her grandfather. From 1929 to 1951, he was employed at Lincoln College and lived in Christchurch. Otto and Margaret Frankel commissioned the architect Ernst Plischke to design their house in the Christchurch suburb of Opawa; Frankel House is a Category 2 entry on the Heritage New Zealand register.
The end of school coincided with the end of World War I, when there was little chance of a young man without military service being admitted to the University of Vienna. However, under Otto's leadership, a group of young people took over a disused military laboratory, got a copy of the practical course work from the Chemical Institute of the University, worked through it together without any lectures and subsequently gained credit for the course.
Otto Frankel
Sir Otto Herzberg Frankel FRS FAA FRSNZ (4 November 1900, Vienna – 21 November 1998, Canberra) was an Austrian-born New Zealand and Australian geneticist renowned for his pioneering work in plant genetics and conservation. Frankel was among the first scientists in the 1960s and 1970s to raise awareness about the critical importance of preserving plant biodiversity and the risks associated with biodiversity loss.
His research and advocacy laid the groundwork for modern conservation genetics, influencing global efforts to protect endangered plant species and ecosystems. Frankel's distinguished career spanned several decades, during which he made significant contributions to both theoretical and applied genetics, earning him numerous accolades, including fellowship in the Royal Society (FRS) and the Australian Academy of Science (FAA). His legacy continues to inspire conservationists and geneticists worldwide.
Otto Herzberg-Frankel was the third of four sons of a prominent and wealthy lawyer. Otto's paternal grandfather, a well-known author, added Herzberg from his mother's name to become Herzberg-Frankel. After his father's death, Otto dropped the hyphen.
Ludwig Herzberg-Frankel, Otto's father, was a highly successful barrister in Vienna. He was related to Lewis Namier, who played a significant role in Otto's career.
Max, Otto's oldest brother (1895–1983), qualified in law but after joining Otto in New Zealand in 1938 he became an accountant. Theo (1897–1986), who had to flee Vienna hurriedly in 1938, became a progressive paper manufacturer in Great Britain, establishing the Scottish Pulp and Paper Mills enterprise in the Scottish Highlands. Paul (1903–1992) also moved to Britain, from Poland in 1937. An economist by training, he founded Petroleum Economics Ltd. in 1955 and became a distinguished international authority on the oil industry.
In Otto's early years, his father employed a tutor for his sons as well as a French governess. From 1910 to 1918 Otto attended the Piaristen Staatsgymnasiums Wien VIII, where he met Karl Popper. Otto claimed to have had no education, as this was a classical rather than a modern school, with poor mathematics and next to no science but eight years of Latin and four of Greek. None of his teachers inspired him.
Frankel married twice. His first wife was Mathilde Donsbach (1899–1989). They married in the mid-1920s and divorced in 1937. In 1939, he married Margaret Anderson (1902–1997); the engineer John Anderson was her grandfather. From 1929 to 1951, he was employed at Lincoln College and lived in Christchurch. Otto and Margaret Frankel commissioned the architect Ernst Plischke to design their house in the Christchurch suburb of Opawa; Frankel House is a Category 2 entry on the Heritage New Zealand register.
The end of school coincided with the end of World War I, when there was little chance of a young man without military service being admitted to the University of Vienna. However, under Otto's leadership, a group of young people took over a disused military laboratory, got a copy of the practical course work from the Chemical Institute of the University, worked through it together without any lectures and subsequently gained credit for the course.