Sir Henry Enfield Roscoe was born on January 7, 1833, in London, England.

He was a British chemist, educator, politician, and author. He studied at the Liverpool Institute for Boys and University College London. He then went to Heidelberg to work under Robert Bunsen, who became a lifelong friend. In 1857, Roscoe returned to England and was appointed the chair of chemistry at Owens College, Manchester. He remained at the college until 1886 when Victoria University was established. In 1881, he was a founder of the Society of Chemical Industry and first president of its Manchester Section. He also served as vice-chancellor of the University of London (1896-1902). He was a Member of Parliament for the Division of Manchester South (1885-1895). In 1874, he received the Royal Medal for his research on the chemical action of light and metal vanadium. He also researched niobium, tungsten, uranium, perchloric acid, and the solubility of ammonia. The mineral Roscoelite was named after him. He was knighted in 1884 and received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Glasgow in 1901. In 1909, he was sworn in the Privy Council. He was awarded the Franklin Institute's Elliott Cresson Medal in 1912. Roscoe was the author of several valuable books on chemistry, including six volumes entitled "A Treatise on Chemistry" (1877–1892).

In 1863, he married Lady Lucy Potter (1840–1910). He died on December 18, 1915, in Guildford, Surrey, England.