Harry Foster Bain

Harry Foster Bain (November 2, 1871 – March 9, 1948), better known as H. Foster Bain, was an American geologist who served as the 4th Director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines.

Early life Harry Foster Bain was born in Seymour, Indiana, on November 2, 1871. Bain graduated from Moores Hill College in Moores Hill, Indiana, in 1890. He was a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University in geology and chemistry. He graduated from the University of Chicago with a PhD in June 1897. In 1925, he became Secretary of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. He resigned in 1931 and traveled extensively.

Bain was appointed as a consultant and technical adviser to the Philippines Bureau of Mines from 1936 to 1942. During World War II, in 1942 and 1943, he was imprisoned by the Japanese in a prison camp at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila for two years. He returned to the United States in 1943 on the MS Gripsholm and continued working.

Personal life Bain was married and had one daughter, Margaret.

Later life and death Bain established a ranch home in Steamboat Springs, Nevada. He returned to Manila for work and died from a sudden illness on March 9, 1948. He was cremated and his remains were spread near Manila.

Awards Bain received the King Albert Medal for his work as a member of the Commission for Relief in Belgium.