James Swinburne

Sir James Swinburne was a British electrical engineer and manufacturer, and was the 9th Baronet of Capheaton.

Often called the "Father of British Plastics", Swinburne revolutionized the plastics industry throughout Europe. Impressed with the possibilities of phenol formaldehyde, he formed a company called Fireproof Celluloid Syndicate Limited, which was dedicated to research and marketing of the product. Swinburne and Leo Baekeland later founded the Demard Lacquer Company, which eventually became Bakelite Limited, which Swinburne served as chairman and, in 1948, as honorary president.

Swinburne was a prominent engineer in the electrical industry. He worked on the first electric lightbulb and coined many new electrical words. Swinburne was a member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) for a record-breaking 73 years, serving as president from 1902 to 1903. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1906. He soon joined the Faraday Society, serving as its president from 1909 to 1911.

He died in 1958 aged 100.