Person
Baker, Henry Herbert (1867 - 1940)
- Born
- 6 October 1867
Yeovil, Somerset, England - Died
- 13 August 1940
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Optician and Business executive
Summary
Henry Baker, an 'enthusiastic student of science' was a member of various astronomical, microscopical and photographic societies in Melbourne. He was managing director of W. Watson & Sons Ltd from 1919.
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Details
Born Yeovil, Somerset, England, 6 October 1867. Died Sydney, 13 August 1940. Took an English course in optics and sight-testing and about 1900 obtained the diploma of the Spectacle Makers' Company. Clerk in his grandfather's firm, W. Watson & Sons, came to Melbourne to represent his firm at the Centennial International Exhibition 1888; arranged to open a branch of the business with his brother Frank; obtained coils and vacuum tubes in 1896 and made available the benefits of X-rays; acquired the Australian business 1903; registered the firm as a proprietary company 1916; registered as a public company 1919, with Henry as managing director; established a factory for manufacturing electro-medical equipment 1921; moved into Watson House in Sydney 1928; chairman until 1940. Founder and first president, Victorian Optical Association 1911-14.
Published resources
Book Sections
- Wood, Harley, 'Baker, Henry Herbert (1867-1940), optician' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1979), p. 150. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070151b.htm. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21538925. Details
- 'Baker, Henry Herbert (1867-1940)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1465285. Details
McCarthy, G.J.
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 13 February 2018
- Foundation Supporter - Committee to Review Australian Studies in Tertiary Education