Vassili Samarsky-Bykhovets

Vasili Yevgrafovich Samarsky-Bykhovets (Russian: Василий Евграфович Самарский-Быховец; 7 November 1803 – 31 May 1870) was a Russian mining engineer and the chief of Russian Mining Engineering Corps between 1845 and 1861. The mineral samarskite (samarskite-Y, samarskite-Yb and calciosamarskite), and chemical element samarium are named after him. He was the first person whose name was given to a chemical element.