Henry Booth

Henry Booth (4 April 1788 – 1869) was born in Rodney Street, Liverpool, England. A descendant of the Booths of Twemlow, he was a corn merchant, businessman and engineer.

During 1825 Booth was a vigorous proponent of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company (L&M). At the first general meeting of the railway's shareholders on 29 May 1826, he was appointed to be one of the L&M's twelve initial directors. Next day the directors appointed him as company secretary and treasurer—equivalent to the post of chief executive officer—at a salary of £500 a year. He continued to competently fill those important posts until 1846. Booth was a leading proponent of working all British railways to one standard time.

On the formation of the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) on 16 July 1846, he became a director of the new large company, serving until 1859. He was also the LNWR's first secretary between 1846 and 1848.

Booth proposed the basic design of the first multi-tubular boiler used on Stephenson's Rocket steam locomotive built in late 1829 for the L&M Railway.

References

* "Liverpool & Manchester Railway 1830–1980", Frank Ferneyhough, Book Club Associates, England, 1980 (No ISBN)
* "Encyclopedia of British Railway Companies", Christopher Awdry, Guild Publishing, England, 1990, CN 8983

External links

* [http://www.lmu.livjm.ac.uk/lhol/ Liverpool History online]