Henry Lomb

Biography

Henry Lomb emigrated from Germany in the mid-19th century and soon joined John Jacob Bausch to build what became the celebrated optics firm Bausch & Lomb, turning Rochester into a center for lenses and instruments. His steady leadership and devotion to quality helped the company weather difficult times and grow into an industrial mainstay.

He also championed technical education, helping to found the Mechanics Institute that eventually became the Rochester Institute of Technology and supporting other civic institutions; he died in 1908 and was laid to rest at Mount Hope Cemetery.