Born in Upper Silesia (at that time part of Germany, now in Poland) on 17 January 1921, Langer grew up in Berlin where he moved with his mother and two siblings after the death of his father, a judge, when Reinhart was aged three years.

[1] It was at GRI that Langer met his future wife, Hilary Joan Wilton, a biometrician, and they wed in September 1951.

[1] He was also active in the administration of Lincoln College, serving as vice-principal, and as acting principal for 15 months in 1984 and 1985 between the tenures of Sir James Stewart and Bruce Ross.

[4] Following his retirement, Langer acted as a consultant for the establishment of forestry and agricultural polytechnic institutes in Indonesia.

[6] Following his retirement from Lincoln, Langer was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to agricultural education.