Textile artist, painter, and printmaker was born in Schiedam, Netherlands, on April 12, 1881. Prior to pursuing art, Mijer was a competitive fencer in the Netherlands and continued after he emigrated to U.S. with his wife in 1917. In New York he worked as a textile designer, especially as an authority on batik (wax-resistant dyeing on textiles) work, and in 1919, he published the book Batiks and How to Make Them.

Mijer became a member of the Woodstock art scene and contributed to the Hue and Cry art and literature magazine. In the meantime he continued to compete in fencing, and in 1922 he won his first medal at the US Nationals. Mijer won 10 US National medals, with six titles –  the last when he was 74 years old. In addition to competing for the Netherlands at the 1928 Olympics, Mijer was entered for the 1932 Los Angles Games, but did not compete. He became a US citizen in 1943. Mijer donated two of his paintings in 1952 to raise money for the US Olympc fencing team. He died on March 10, 1963.