Alexander Duckham | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 March 1877 Blackheath, London, England |
| Died | 1 February 1945 (aged 67) |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Duckhams Oils |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Tribology, lubricants |
Alexander Duckham (11 March 1877 – 1 February 1945) was an English chemist and businessman, best known for the development of machine lubricants. The son of an engineer, after university he specialised in lubrication, working briefly for Fleming's Oil Company before founding his own company, Alexander Duckham & Co, in Millwall in 1899.
By the outbreak of World War I, he was an authority on technological problems relating to lubrication, and the company went public in about 1920, relocating from Millwall to Hammersmith. By the time he died in 1945, Duckhams had assumed a dominant position for the supply of lubricants and corrosion inhibitors to the motor industry in Britain and other markets. A new manufacturing plant was opened in Staffordshire in 1968, and soon thereafter the company was taken over by BP.