Banks, Henry W III

Henry Ward Banks 3d (III) was an American chemical engineer, military officer, and laboratory founder whose life bridged the worlds of science, industry, and wartime service in the early twentieth century. Early Life & Education Born in Englewood, New Jersey, on October 18, 1890, Banks was the son of Henry Ward Banks Jr. and Mabel Mortimer Banks. He was educated at the Pawling School and later attended Williams College, graduating in 1913 with an A.B. degree. Soon after graduation, he joined Squadron A of the New York National Guard and saw active duty on the Mexican border in 1916 during the period of cross-border tensions preceding U.S. entry into World War I. Scientific Training Later in 1916, Banks entered the School of Chemistry at Columbia University, where he advanced to the rank of fellow in the department. His training there positioned him at the forefront of applied chemical research during a period when American industry and military science were rapidly expanding. World War I Service When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Banks was commissioned a captain in the U.S. Field Artillery. He served in France from May to December 1918 as an officer in the Fifth Corps Artillery. A veteran of multiple engagements, he returned home unwounded, part of a generation of educated professionals who had temporarily left civilian careers for military command. Professional Career In 1920, Banks co-founded the chemical laboratory firm Loomis, Stump & Banks, located at 106 East Nineteenth Street in New York City. The laboratory provided analytical and industrial chemical services during a period of rapid growth in American manufacturing and commercial chemistry. Around 1927, he assumed full control of the enterprise, renaming it Banks Laboratory, which he operated until his death. His career reflects the rise of independent chemical consulting laboratories in the interwar period, serving industries that increasingly relied on scientific testing and materials analysis. Death Banks died at Stamford Hospital after a brief illness caused by an arterial blood clot. He was 43 years old. At the time of his death, he was a resident of Noroton, Connecticut, while maintaining professional offices in New York.