Herbert Alfred Humphrey MInstCE MIMechE MIEE FCGI (2 December 1868 – 9 March 1951) was a British engineer, inventor of the Humphrey pump.[1][2][3]
Humphrey was born in Gospel Oak, London, to Louisa (née Frost, 1831–1911) and John Charles Humphrey (1833–1903). His mother had been a dressmaker before marriage, and his father was a clerk at the London Metropolitan Board of Works and later London County Council. Edith Humphrey, thought to be the first British woman to obtain a doctorate in chemistry, was his younger sister.[4] He trained at the Finsbury Technical College and the Central Institution (which later became the City and Guilds College).
He patented the Humphrey pump in 1906.[citation needed] During World War I he worked as a chemical engineer, working on improving the production of explosives.[citation needed]
He was awarded the Melchett Medal in 1939 by the Institute of Fuel. In 1945, he retired to Hermanus, Cape Province, Union of South Africa. He died there in 1951.[citation needed]
He was married to Mary Elizabeth Horniblow. They had three sons and two daughters, including the bacteriologist John H. Humphrey.
A collection of Humphrey's papers is held in the archives of Imperial College London.[2]