Henry Louis was born on December 7, 1855, in Hackney, London, England.

He was a mining and metallurgical engineer and author. He studied at the Royal School of Mines and became active in international mining circles. He was engaged in iron and steelwork in Nova Scotia, in gold mining in Trinidad, South America, and West Africa, in gold and diamond mining in the Transvaal and South Africa, and in the mining of various ores in the Malay Peninsula, Siam, and other parts of the Far East. He was Professor of Mining at the University of Durham from 1896 to 1923, a member of many scientific bodies, and author of numerous textbooks and articles on mining and metallurgy. He served as president of the Iron and Steel Institute, the Institution of Mining Engineers, and the Society of Chemical Industry.

In 1895, he married Loli James (1860–). He died on February 22, 1939, in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England.