Lomb was born in
Burghaun,
Electorate of Hessen. He emigrated to the
United States in 1849 and settled in
Rochester, New York, where he worked as a cabinet-maker. When his friend,
John Jacob Bausch, the owner of a retail optical shop in Rochester, needed additional capital in 1854, he loaned him $60 on Bausch's promise that, if the business ever grew to such an extent that he needed a partner, Lomb would be brought in. The business did grow and together they formed the
Bausch & Lomb Company. In 1885, Lomb, along with Max Lowenthal, Ezra R. Andrews, Frank Ritter, William F. Peck and others, founded the Mechanics Institute (now
Rochester Institute of Technology), whose mission was to offer "education for making a living." Lomb served as chairman of the Institute Board until 1891, and continued to be a strong supporter of the school until his death. Henry Lomb died suddenly in
Pittsford, New York at the age of 79. He is buried in
Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester. == Legacy ==