Henry Alvah Strong (August 30, 1838 – July 26, 1919) was an American photography businessman. He was the first president of the

Eastman Kodak Company The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

Early life and family

Henry Strong was born on August 30, 1838 in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. He graduated from Wyoming Academy in 1858. On August 30, 1859, he married Helen Phoebe Griffin. They had three children: Gertrude Achilles, Helen Carter, and Henry G. Strong. After Helen's death in 1904 from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, he married Hattie (Corrin) Lockwood on June 14, 1905. He adopted her son, Corrin, and the family returned to Rochester, New York.

Business ventures

Strong held a lead position in his family's buggy whip manufacturing company prior to meeting George Eastman in 1870. In 1881 he helped provide capital to Eastman to launch the Eastman Dry Plate Company which would later become

Legacy

Numerous buildings in Rochester, notably Strong Memorial Hospital and Strong Auditorium at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

were built from his philanthropy.

References

1838 births 1919 deaths American manufacturing businesspeople Kodak people 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1830s-stub