Harry Robert Kempe (1852-1935) was an English

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

Life

Kempe was born at

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, London, on 1 March 1852, the youngest son of the Rev. John Edward Kempe, later rector of St James's Church, Piccadilly, and his wife Harriet (née Wood). An older brother was Sir Alfred Bray Kempe, a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

. Another older brother was the civil servant Sir John Arrow Kempe. On 8 July 1880, he married Helen Catherine. They had one daughter. Kempe lived for many years at

Brockham Brockham is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. It is approximately east of Dorking and west of Reigate. The village lies south of Box Hill, with the River Mole flowing west through the village. At the ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. He died on 10 April 1935 and is buried at Brockham church.

Education and career

Kempe was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and then studied

applied science Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

from 1867 to 1870, followed by two years in the laboratory of Sir Charles Wheatstone and then three years with Sir

Samuel Canning Sir Samuel Canning (1823–1908) was an English pioneer of submarine telegraphy. Life Born at Ogbourne St. Andrew, Wiltshire, on 21 July 1823, he was son of Robert Canning of Ogbourne and his wife Frances Hyde; he was educated at Salisbury. Ca ...

, engineer-in-chief of the

Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company Enderby's Wharf is a wharf and industrial site on the south bank of the Thames in Greenwich, London, associated with Telcon and other companies. It has a history of more than 150 years of production of submarine communication cables and associ ...

, where he was involved with the laying of the

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

telegraph cable in 1870. In 1871 he was among the first associate members of the Society of Telegraph Engineers, which later became the Institution of Electrical Engineers. In 1872 Kempe moved to

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

to work with William Henry Preece, divisional engineer with the postal telegraph. In 1877 Preece was appointed electrician to the Postmaster-General and in 1878 Kempe was transferred to London to act as his assistant. During the 1890s, Kempe was responsible for many

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

and

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

services used by the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...

(GPO). He succeeded Preece, becoming in 1900 Principal Staff Engineer and in 1907 Electrician to the Post Office. In the GPO, Kempe was well liked by his colleagues, a tribute to him on his retirement describes his outstanding characteristic as a “quality of loveableness”. He retired on 31 December 1912. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was examiner to the inventions committee of the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

. He was an accredited member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 120,000 member ...

and the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

Bibliography

* From 1872 he contributed to the ''Telegraphic Journal'' (later becoming the ''Electrical Review''), of which he became the editor and one of the proprietors until 1931. * He contributed articles to the 11th edition of ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''. * ''A Handbook of Electrical Testing'' (1876) * ''The Electrical Engineer's Pocket-Book'' (1890) * '' Kempe's Engineers Year-Book'', 1894. With W. Hannaford-Smith and then annually, except during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, until 2002. * ''Alternating Currents'' (1916) * Editor of '' The Engineer''.Wireless World, 3 Sep. 1930, p. 226

References

External links

Harry Robert Kempe
Grace's Guide
A handbook of electrical testing
by Harry Robert Kempe, E. & F.N. Spon, 1887
The Electrical Review 1872-1989
Archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Kempe, Harry Robert English engineers People from Kensington 1852 births 1935 deaths