Wilhelm Hauchecorne

Who was Wilhelm Hauchecorne?

Heinrich Lambert Wilhelm Hauchecorne was a German geologist of French Huguenot parentage who was born in Aachen.

He studied mining technology in Berlin and Freiburg. Among his instructors were Heinrich Ernst von Beyrich, Gustav Rose and Christian Samuel Weiss. Afterwards he became director of a copper mine near Rheinbreitbach, and in 1866 was appointed director of the Berlin Mining Academy. In 1873 he became the co-director of the Prussian National Geological Survey.

Hauchecorne is credited with development of the Geological Survey's geological and mineralogical collections, and was responsible for consolidation of rock and mineral collections. He also introduced a standardization of color-codes for use on German geological maps that was eventually adopted throughout Europe.

In 1892, the mineral hauchecornite was named in his honor.