Henry James (British Army officer)
Sir Henry James | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 June 1803 |
| Died | 14 June 1877 (aged 74) Southampton, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Board of Ordnance British Army |
| Service years | 1826–1877 |
| Rank | Brevet Lieutenant-General |
| Service number | 604 |
| Unit | Corps of Royal Engineers |
| Commands | Director of Ordnance Survey, 1854–75 Director of the Topographical and Statistical Department of the War Office, 1857–70 |
| Awards |
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| Spouse |
Anne Emma Watson (m. 1845) |
| Relations | Henry Spencer Palmer (nephew) |
Lieutenant-General Sir Henry James FRS MRIA FGS (1803 – 1877) was a Royal Engineers officer who served as the director-general of the Ordnance Survey, the British Government mapping agency, from 1854 to 1875. Sir Henry was described by the agency itself as "perhaps Ordnance Survey's most eccentric and egotistical Director General". Sir Henry spent most of his life working for the Ordnance Survey and after becoming its head he introduced the new science of photography. He also would later claim to be the inventor of the process known as Photozincography or Zinco. Sir Henry also played a part in the resolving of the battle of the scales.