Background
He was born in present-day Valmiera District, Latvia (then part of the Russian Empire).
He was born in present-day Valmiera District, Latvia (then part of the Russian Empire).
He studied physics and economy in Tartu and worked as a public official in different capacities.
He contributed to several publications on the bird-life in Latvia, and wrote three books on the subject. Among these is the first book about birds in the Latvian language.
An avid hunter and ornithologist, he was a member of the Riga Association of Natural Scientists (Der Naturforscherverein zu Riga), predecessor of the Natural History Museum of Latvia from 1878.