Henry William Clothier - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Henry William Clothier (3 April 1872 – 11 March 1938) was a British electrical engineer and inventor.

Clothier was born in London, England and served his apprenticeship with Messrs J. & H. Gwynne of Hammersmith

Hammersmith

Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...

. After leaving Gwynnes he joined Dr Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti

Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti

Sebastian Pietro Innocenzo Adhemar Ziani de Ferranti was an electrical engineer and inventor.-Personal life:...

and Mr C P Sparks, first in London, and then in Hollinwood. It was with Ferranti that he first became interested in switchgear

Switchgear

The term switchgear, used in association with the electric power system, or grid, refers to the combination of electrical disconnects, fuses and/or circuit breakers used to isolate electrical equipment. Switchgear is used both to de-energize equipment to allow work to be done and to clear faults...

, an interest that was to develop into his life’s work.

In 1905 Clothier went to Tyneside

Tyneside

Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...

to work with Charles Hesterman Merz

Charles Hesterman Merz

Charles Hesterman Merz was a British electrical engineer who pioneered the use of high-voltage three-phase AC power distribution in the United Kingdom, building a system in the North East of England in the early 20th century that became the model for the country's National Grid.-Life:Merz was then...

and Bernard Price

Bernard Price

Dr Bernard Price OBE, was founding Chief Engineer and later General Manager of the Victoria Falls and Transvaal Power Company in South Africa between 1911 and 1936....

and joined Mr Alphonse C.