George Arnold Escher (10 May 1843 – 14 June 1939) was a Dutch civil engineer and a foreign advisor to the Japanese government during the Meiji period.[3][4]
Escher also collaborated on works in China with Johannis de Rijke, including works related to the sandbank at the mouth of the Huangpu Jiang. This tributary of the Yangtze River plays a crucial role in Shanghai's international trade.[5] Escher accompanied de Rijke on an exploratory visit to Shanghai and compiled a report that garnered considerable attention, though it did not culminate in immediate implementation.[6][7][8]
After returning to the Netherlands, he worked in Maastricht. During this time, he recorded in his diary his difficulty as a Protestant in finding a suitable marriage partner in Roman Catholic Maastricht who would also be able to satisfy his equation v = 1/2m + 10, where v was the age of the woman, and m the age of the husband.[9] In 1882, Escher married Charlotte Marie Hartitzsch, with whom he had two sons. He became a widower in 1885, and in 1892 married Sara Gleichman, with whom he had three more sons. Escher worked as a hydraulic engineer in Leeuwarden. In 1903 the family moved to Arnhem.[10][11]
^van Gasteren, Louis, ed. (2003). Die Eeuwige Rijst met Japansche Thee: Brieven uit Japan van Nederlandse Watermannen, 1872–1903. Uitgeverij Bas Lubberhuizen. ISBN9789059370241.
^"v = 1/2m + 10". Archived from the original on December 15, 2005. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
^Escher, G.A. (1981). Volume of the Biographical sketch & Memories of George Arnold Escher written after his retirement in 1910 & 1911. Mahone Bay, Canada.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
