Henry Booth

Henry Booth (4 April 1788 – 28 March 1869) was a British corn merchant, businessman and engineer particularly known as one of the key people behind the construction and management of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&M), the world's first steam railway conducting both scheduled passenger services and freight. Biography Henry Booth was born in Rodney Street, Liverpool, England, a descendant of the Booths of Twemlow. His father, Thomas, was the son of a yeoman farmer of Orford, Cheshire. Thomas and his brother George apprenticed to corn merchant Dobson in 1767, and 1774 began business as corn factors on the own account at 17 King Street, Liverpool. As eldest son, it was expected Henry would follow his father in that business and was sent to a Dr. Shepherd, a Presbyterian minister in the nearby village of Gateacre for instruction. He showed an aptitude for reading books, poetry, practical mechanics and was noted for a good eye for proportion. Henry initially found employment in his father's business before branching out with this own corn merchant business, being noted for not being particularly successful. 1820-1830 building the railway Booth's father Thomas had been an original member of the L&M project original provisional committee in 1822. Henry later replaced his father and quickly became noted for organisational and promotional skills and enthusiasm for the endeavour which was to an extent stalling by 1823 and least in part due to the difficulties and over-commitment of William James. Appointed as committee secretary and noted as becoming second only to Joseph Saunders in commitment to the project Booth was one of the four members of a working party sent to visit other railways at Bedlington Ironworks, Killingworth and Hetton colliery, returning with a report recommending steam locomotive haulage for the L&M. A meeting of 20 May 1824 accepted the report but also took the steps to forming a Joint Stock Company, Booth writing the prospectus which was issued on 29 October 1824. 1825 saw Booth give up his corn merchant interests to concentrate on the L&M project.