Jan Kops

Jan Kops (6 March 1765 Amsterdam - 9 January 1849 Utrecht) was an Anabaptist Dutch agronomist and botanist. His most notable contribution to botany was the founding of the long-lived journal "Flora Batava" in 1800 and contributing text for the first 10 volumes.

Jan Kops was the son of Jacobus Kops, a yarn merchant, and Hillegond Schotvanger, both conservative Old Frisian Mennonites. On the death of his father in December 1773, Jan Kops with his stepmother and sister moved from Amsterdam to Haarlem, where he received tuition first at the French and then at the Latin school. He was expected to follow the family tradition of a career in the textile industry, but Kops was ambitious and wanted a more extensive education. For the moment he immersed himself in a study of Dutch literature and botany.

In December 1781 Kops enrolled at the Amsterdam Theological Seminary, a move which was not his first choice, as he would rather have followed his interest in botany and natural history, but understood that these were not lucrative fields. Anabaptists, such as Kops, were systematically excluded from public office. However this did not deter Kops from attending courses in the natural sciences at the Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam.

In April 1787 Kops passed his examination at the Anabaptist seminary and served as pastor at Leiden until 1800, enrolling at the local university for a number of courses. In his spare time he was kept busy by his interest in literature.

A great setback in Kops' church career was his being passed over in 1792 as preacher for the Haarlem congregation, the same thing happening in Amsterdam. Kops was furious over this and sought diversion in botany. As a consequence the first part of "Flora Batava" appeared in 1800. The Batavian Revolution led to the Mennonites' being placed on equal footing with the Dutch Reformed Church, and in 1795 and 1796 he was a member and chairman of Leiden's local authority.

Kops next turned his attention to agriculture, and looked into the possibility of turning the dune region into productive farmland. He assembled a panel of agricultural experts and approached the Provincial Administration of Holland, setting out his ideas. His proposals met with a favourable reception and in September 1796 a study group was put together with Kops as secretary, and a report soon followed. His reputation as agronomist firmly established by the report, he was appointed in June 1800 as director of agriculture in the Netherlands, causing him to leave the ministry in Leiden and take up an office at The Hague, a post he was to fill until 1815. In this new capacity Kops undertook a tour of five months through the Netherlands, enabling him to personally judge the state of the nation's agriculture. On his initiative the first Dutch agricultural magazine Magazijn van Vaderlandschen Landbouw appeared between 1803 and 1814. He also initiated the formation of 10 regional agricultural commissions to advise the government. In 1808 he established the first "Agricultural Cabinet" to provide farmers with assistance and advice on farming equipment and implements.

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