Sir Holbrook Gaskell was a chemical

Chemical substance

In chemistry, a chemical substance is a form of matter that has constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. It cannot be separated into components by physical separation methods, i.e. without breaking chemical bonds. They can be solids, liquids or gases.Chemical substances are...

 industrialist in Widnes

Widnes

Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn...

, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, England.

He was born on the 12 November 1878, the son of Holbrook Gaskell II

Holbrook Gaskell II

Holbrook Gaskell II was a chemical industrialist in Widnes, Lancashire, England.He was the eldest son of Holbrook Gaskell, founder of Gaskell, Deacon & Co. and his wife Frances Anne Bellhouse and was born in Patricroft on the 7th December 1846. He was educated at Owen's College, Manchester...

, Esq., of Frodsham, Cheshire and the grandson of Holbrook Gaskell

Holbrook Gaskell

Holbrook Gaskell was a British industrialist, and an art and plant collector.-Early life:Holbrook Gaskell was born in Wavertree, Liverpool. He was the eldest son of Roger Gaskell, a sailcloth manufacturer, from his marriage to his cousin Anne Hunter. He was baptised on the 11 April 1813 at...

, founder of Gaskell, Deacon & Co. He became chief engineer of the United Alkali Company

United Alkali Company

United Alkali Company Limited was a British chemical company formed in 1890. Producer of soda ash by the Leblanc process and used in the glass, textile, soap, and paper industries. It became one of the top four British chemical companies merged in 1926 with Brunner Mond, Nobel Explosives and...

 in 1914. He visited USA with Dr. J. T. Conroy to investigate the electrolytic

Electrolysis

In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of using a direct electric current to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction...

 chlorine

Chlorine

Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...

 processes in use there. With E. M. Hollingsworth he designed West Bank Power Station in the 1920s to supply power to the factories of the United Alkali Company. When this company joined with three other companies to form Imperial Chemical Industries

Imperial Chemical Industries

Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...

 in 1926, Gaskell became the chairman of its General Chemicals Group. Later he became technical director on the board of Imperial Chemical Industries and in 1942 he was knight

Knight

A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....

ed for his services to industry.

He married Emily Mary Ridgway on the 21 February 1906 at St. Peter's Church, Oughtrington, Lymm, Cheshire. They had no children.
He died on the 31st March 1951.