Charles Edward Kenneth MeesFRS[1] (26 May 1882 – 15 August 1960) was a Britishscientist andphotographic researcher.
Mees was born inWellingborough,England, the son of aWesleyanminister.
He attended theUniversity of London. In 1906 he was awarded hisD.Sc. with a dissertation on photographic theory.
From 1906 until 1912, Mees worked for Wratten and Wainwright, Ltd., assistingFrederick Wratten in developing the firstpanchromatic photographic plates, as well aslight filters and safelights for the darkroom.
In 1912,Eastman Kodak Company acquired Wratten and Wainwright because they were interested in the skills Mees provided.George Eastman convinced Mees to move toRochester,New York, United States, where Mees created the Kodak Research Laboratories,[2] becoming its first director.[3]
Mees helped the US military inWorld War I in its instruction of photography.[2] After theattack on Pearl Harbor, Mees became an American citizen so that he could have access to high security war projects and information duringWorld War II.[2]
Later, he was named vice president in charge of Research and Development for Eastman Kodak; he remained at that position until he retired in 1955.[2]
During his career, he published 100 scientific papers and 60 other works. Among his accomplishments was the development of sensitive photographic emulsions for use inastronomy. He also delivered the 1935Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on Photography.
Mees served as the first president of the board of trustees ofGeorge Eastman House from 1947 until 1954.[4]
He died suddenly inHonolulu in 1960.
He married in 1909 Alice Crisp, and together they raised two children: Graham (1910) and Doris (1912). They were married for 45 years.[2]
In 1951 he suffered a massive thrombosis in one leg and lost it to amputation. Despite that, he became adept at using an artificial limb and even managed to drive his own car.[2]
