Final answer:
Henry Darcy is credited with recognizing and defining the relationship between hydraulic conductivity and permeability, leading to the formulation of Darcy's Law.
Step-by-step explanation:
The person credited with recognizing and defining the relationship between hydraulic conductivity and permeability, leading to the formulation of Darcy's Law, is Henry Darcy. Darcy was a French engineer and hydrologist who conducted extensive experiments on water flow through different materials and developed the concept of hydraulic conductivity. His work laid the foundation for the understanding of groundwater flow and has had significant implications in fields such as hydrogeology and civil engineering.