Richard Pink (1832-1906)
1906 Obituary [1]
RICHARD PINK died on September 23, 1906, at his residence in Hanover.
Born in 1832 in London, he was the only son of William Pink, an architect, and on leaving school he entered his father's office. Subsequently he started engineering works in Sheffield, which he gave up in 1862, on the invention of the Bessemer process, to enter the works of Bessemer & Company, Sheffield, as a volunteer. Shortly after he received a leading position in that firm.
In 1864 he was sent to the Hoerde Works to erect a Bessemer plant of three 3-ton converters. He was then appointed steelworks manager, a position he held until 1880.
In 1879 he introduced the Thomas and Gilchrist process at Hoerde, where it was used for the first time in Germany. Reasons of health induced him to leave Hoerde and take up his residence in Hanover. There he discovered late in life his artistic talents, and did good work as a sculptor.
In later years he took over the management of the Opaka Petroleum Company, and was until his death a member of the board of directors of the Thale Ironworks and of potash mining companies.
In all these positions his advice was highly valued. He was elected a member of the Iron and Steel Institute in 1876, and in 1880 contributed to the proceedings a paper on dephosphorisation of iron in the Bessemer converter.