Émile Joseph Taquet

Émile Joseph Taquet (30 October 1873 - 27 January 1952) was a French missionary and botanical collector who, as part of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, travelled extensively in Korea. He is known for collecting seeds and specimens of plants native to Korea.

Life Taquet was born on 30 October 1873 in Hecq, Nord, in northern France. He was the son of Hippolyte Taquet and Anna Wibaille. His family made a living making and selling clogs.

In April 1898, Taquet was dispatched to Gyeongsangnam-do, west of the Nakdonggang River. This was his first assignment after learning the Korean language from Father Imgamilo, the first head priest of Gamgok Maegoe Sanctuary Catholic Church (formerly Janghowon Catholic Church). Taquet spent a total of 55 years in Korea. He spent 31 years as an educator in Daegu, 13 years as a missionary and plant collector on Jeju Island, 7 years in numerous public offices on the islands and inland, including Mokpo and Naju, and 4 years in Busan, Jinju, and Masan. When World War I broke out in 1914, Taquet was exempted from conscription, so he never set foot on the French homeland again. Even after the death of his father, he simply asked his fellow priests and the bishop to pray.

Upon his death on 27 January 1952, Taquet was buried in Daegu, Korea.

Botanical work

Collections with Urbain Jean Faurie From 1902 to 1915, Taquet, who had taken the Korean name of Eom Taek-gi, conducted missionary activities on Jeju Island, and collected tens of thousands of plants native to the region. In 1907, Taquet collaborated with another French priest, , who was doing missionary work in Aomori, Japan.

Overall, the joint expeditions of Taquet and Faurie greatly furthered the knowledge about the flora of Jeju Island.

Independent collections

In February 1908, Taquet began his first solo collecting trip. On April 14, he discovered the Jeju cherry tree, and was the first to report it to the European academic world.

The plants and seeds collected by Taquet were sent all over the world, and he was specifically responsible for introducing many species of woody plants to the west.