Sir George Hamilton Kenrick FRES was an English entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera especially those of New Guinea.
Background
Kenrick was born in 1850. He was the son of Timothy Kenrick from Edgbaston and the grandson of Archibald Kenrick, founder of the cutlery firm Archibald Kenrick & Sons in West Bromwich. He then joined his father"s company, where he was chairman for many years.
Career
He was a prominent liberal educationist and was a councillor in Birmingham. He promoted physical training in schools and promoted sports setting up a Kenrick Shield in 1883. In 1908, he served for a year as Lord Mayor of Birmingham.
His collection of world butterflies and moths is in Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, except the types which are in the Natural History Museum, London.
At the beginning of the 20th century Kenrick began writing about tropical butterflies. Both expeditions, in which hundreds of new species of butterfly (including the Birdwing Ornithoptera rothschildi) were discovered, were very successful.
In the 1930s, Kenrick sold his butterfly collection at the Birmingham Natural History Museum. Kenrick was a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (FRES).
Kenrick was knighted by King Edward VII in 1909, during a royal visit to Birmingham, while he was Lord Mayor.
Membership
Kenrick engaged with the local primary and higher education policy and at the age of 30 he became a member of the school board in Birmingham after the resignation of Doctor Dale.