Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin[1] or Baron Nikolaus von Jacquin. (February 16, 1727 – October 26, 1817) was a scientist who studied medicine, chemistry and botany.
He was born in Leiden in the Netherlands; he studied medicine at Leiden University, but later moved first to Paris and then Vienna.
Between 1755 and 1759, Nikolaus von Jacquin was sent to the West Indies and Central America by Francis I to collect plants for the Schönbrunn Palace, and amassed a large collection of animal, plant and mineral samples.
In 1762, Nikolaus von Jacquin became Professor of Minerals and Mining at the Mining Academy in Schemnitz (now Banská Štiavnica in Slovakia). In 1768, he was appointed Professor of Botany and Chemistry and became director of the botanical gardens of the University of Vienna. For his work, he was knighted in 1774. In 1783, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In 1806 he was made baron.
His younger son, Emil Gottfried (1767–1792), and his daughter, Franziska (1769–1850), were friends of Mozart; Mozart wrote two songs for Gottfried to publish under Gottfried's name (K. 520 Als Luise … and K. 530 Das Traumbild) and gave piano lessons to Franziska. Mozart dedicated a considerable number of his works to the Jacquin family, notably the Kegelstatt Trio. This was first played at the Jacquins' house in August 1786 with Franziska playing the piano.
His son Joseph Franz (1766–1839) took his succession as professor of botany and chemistry at the University of Vienna and has written several notable botanical books.
He is commemorated by the genera Jacquinia (Theophrastaceae) and Jacquiniella (Orchidaceae). In 2011, the Austrian Mint issued silver coins to mark his science expeditions to the Caribbean.[2]
Media related to Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin at Wikimedia Commons