9-1959 Minerals Named After Members of the NYMC by K. E. Whalen

Addendum
Current List of Minerals
Named After Members of
The New York
Mineralogical Club as of
August 1, 2015

Minerals Named after Members of the
New York Mineralogical Club, Inc.
Over the Club’s 125-year+ history, there have been forty-eight members, including
honorary members, who have had a mineral or mineral variety named after them.
(Some have since been discredited but they are included anyway.) Most of these
minerals are what we could call “esthetically challenged”. Tony Nikischer of
Excalibur Minerals calls them “lovable uglies”. They are, as a group, very
uncommon in most non-species collections. Some are, in fact, so rare that only a
small handful of specimens of them exists in the world!
1. Austinite, Ni-Austinite. Arsenates named in 1935 and 1987 for Austin F. Rogers (1877-
1957), Stanford University mineralogist.
2. Bementite. Silicate named in 1887 for Clarence S. Bement (1843-1923), mineral collector. His
collection was purchased by J.P. Morgan and subsequently donated to the American Museum of
Natural History, New York City.
3. Bideauxite. Halide named in 1970 for Richard A. Bideaux (1935-2004), American
mineralogist who first discovered the mineral.
4. Bostwickite. Silicate named in 1983 for Richard C. Bostwick (b. 1943), collector and expert
on New Jersey minerals and mineral fluorescence.
5. Braggite. Sulfide named in 1932 for William H. Bragg (1862-1942) and his son, William L.
Bragg (1890-1971), English physicists, Nobelists, authors, and pioneers in x-ray crystallography.
6. Brianite. Phosphate named in 1967 for Brian Mason (b. 1917), author and mineralogist at the
Smithsonian Institute. Also see stenhuggarite.
7. Cahnite. Arsenate named in 1927 for Lazard Cahn (1865-1940), collector and mineral dealer.
8. Canfieldite. Sulfide named in 1894 for Frederick A. Canfield (1849-1926), collector and U.S.
mining engineer.
9. Charlesite. Sulfate named in 1983 for Charles Palache (1869-1954), author and professor of
mineralogy at Harvard University. Also see palacheite.
10. Cliffordite. Tellurite named in 1969 for Clifford Frondel (1907-2002), Harvard professor of
mineralogy and author. Also see frondelite.
11. Eglestonite. Halide named in 1903 for Thomas E. Egleston (1832-1900), Columbia
University American mineralogist, founded the Columbia School of Mines.
12. Englishite. Phosphate named in 1930 for George L. English (1864-1944), well-known
collector, author and dealer.
13. Frondelite. Phosphate named in 1949 for Clifford Frondel (1907-2002), Harvard University
professor of mineralogy and author. Also see cliffordite.
14. Gainesite. Phosphate named in 1983 for Richard V. Gaines (b. 1917) of Earlysville, Virginia,
economist, geologist, mineralogist, and collector of pegmatite minerals.
15. Goldschmidtite. Named in 1899 for Victor Goldschmidt (1853-1933), crystallographer,
author, inventor of the two-circle goniometer. This discredited mineral has been shown to be an
intermediate between sylvanite and calaverite.
16. Hauckite. Sulfate named in 1980 for Richard Hauck (b. 1935), New Jersey mineral collector
and Sterling Hill Mine Museum owner and operator.
17. Hiddenite. This is a varietal name for green spodumene. It was named in 1881 after William
E. Hidden (1853-1918), author and American mineralogist.

18. Holdenite. Arsenate named in 1927 for collector Albert Holden (1866-1913). His gold
collection is now at the Harvard Museum.
19. Jefferisite. Named in 1861 for William W. Jefferis (1830-1906), professor and collector.
Jefferisite has been discredited and shown to be vermiculite.
20. Kempite. Halide named in 1924 for James F. Kemp (1859-1926), American mining geologist
and professor at Columbia.
21. Keyite. Phosphate named in 1977 for Charles Locke Key (b. 1935), mineral dealer. Also see
Ludlockite.
22. Kunzite. This is a varietal name for lilac or pink spodumene. It was named in 1903 for
George F. Kunz (1856-1932), prolific author and gem expert at Tiffany’s in NYC. He was one of
the founding fathers, first secretary and first president of the New York Mineralogical Club.
23. Lacroixite. Phosphate named in 1914 for Francois A. Lacroix (1863-1948), French author
and mineralogist who discovered more than 40 new minerals.
24. Ludlockite. Arsenate named in 1970 in part for Charles Locke Key (b. 1935). See also
keyite.
25. Montgomeryite. Phosphate named in 1940 for Arthur Montgomery (1909-1999), codiscoverer,
along with Ed Over, of the mineral. Collector, author, professor, dealer and founder
of the Friends of Mineralogy.
26. Mosesite. Sulfate named in 1910 for Alfred J. Moses (1859-1920), author and professor at
Columbia University.
27. Nealite. Arsenate named in 1980 for Leo Neal Yedlin (1908-1977), micromount collector
extraordinaire. Also see yedlinite.
28. Nikischerite. Highly complex hydrated sulfate containing hydroxyl, named in 2001 after
Anthony Nikischer (b. 1949), mineralogist, rare mineral dealer, show promoter, philanthropist,
who first analyzed the mineral.
29. Nivenite. Named in 1889 after William Niven (1850-1937), mineral collector who discovered
three minerals. Nivenite has been discredited and shown to be uraninite.
30. Overite. Phosphate named in 1940 for Edward J. Over, Jr. (1905-1963), who discovered
(along with Arthur Montgomery) the mineral.
31. Palacheite. Named in 1903 for Charles Palache. Palacheite has been discredited and shown
to be botryogen. See also charlesite.
32. Paulkerrite. Complex phosphate named in 1984 for Paul Francis Kerr (1897-1981),
mineralogist, NYMC president, and long-time professor at Columbia University, New York City.
33. Perloffite. Phosphate named in 1927 for Louis Perloff (b. 1907), amateur mineralogist and
micromount collector.
34. Petersite. Phosphate named in 1982 in part for Joseph Peters (b. 1951), former curator of
minerals at the American Museum of Natural History.
35. Poughite. Sulfite named in 1968 for Frederick Pough (1906-2006), mineralogist, gemologist,
author, curator of minerals at the American Museum of Natural History.
36. Roeblingite. Silicate named in 1897 for Washington A. Roebling (1837-1926), builder of the
Brooklyn Bridge, mineral collector, founder of the Mineralogical Society of America.
37. Schallerite, Ferro-Schallerite. Silicate named in 1925 for Waldemar T. Schaller (1882-
1967), mineralogist at the USGS. Ferro-schallerite was renamed in 1984 to nelenite.
38. Schernikowite. Silicate named after Ernest Schernikow. Club president in 1927. This mineral
has been discredited and shown to be muscovite.
39. Segelerite. Phosphate named in 1974 for Curt G. Segeler (1901-1989), amateur mineralogist
in New York City and author.
40. Sinkankasite. Phosphate named in 1984 for John Sinkankas (1915-2002), prolific author and
book dealer. Neal Yedlin. Also see nealite.

41. Sklodowskite, Cupro-Sklowdowskite. Silicates named in 1924 and 1933 for Marie
Sklowdowska Curie (Madame Curie, 1867-1934), Nobelist in physics and chemistry, discoverer
of radium.
42. Spencerite. Phosphate named in 1916 for Leonard Spencer (1870-1959), author and curator
of minerals at the British Museum of Natural History.
43. Stenhuggarite. Arsenite named in 1970 for Brian Mason. Stenhuggarite is from the Swedish
word for stonemason. Also see brianite.
44. Strunzite, Ferrostrunzite, Ferristrunzite. Phosphates named in 1958, 1983 and 1987 for
Hugo Strunz (b. 1910), mineralogist and author.
45. Vajdakite. A complex molybdenyl diarsenite trihydrate (!!) named in 1999 for Josef Vajdak
(b 19??), rare mineral species dealer.
46. Whiteite. Phosphate named in 1978 for John S. White, Jr. (b. 1933), editor of the
Mineralogical Record, and associate curator of minerals and gems, U.S. National Museum of
Natural History, Washington, D.C.
47. Whitlockite. Phosphate named in 1941 for Herbert P. Whitlock (1868-1948), mineralogist
and curator of minerals at the American Museum of Natural History, prolific author.
48. Yedlinite. Halide named in 1974 for Leo Neal Yedlin. Also see nealite.