Richard Scott Perkin (1906 – 1969) was an American

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

. At an early age he developed an interest in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

, and began making telescopes and grinding

lenses A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...

and

mirror A mirror or looking glass is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the ...

s. He only spent a year in college studying

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials in ...

before he began working at a brokerage firm on

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for ...

. During the 1930s he met

Charles Elmer Charles Wesley Elmer (1872–1954) was an American amateur astronomer and court reporter who co-founded the Perkin-Elmer optical company in 1937. He was born in New York City, and for most of his life he was employed as a court reporter. However, ...

when the latter was presenting a lecture. The two had a mutual interest in astronomy and decided to go into business together. In 1937, they founded

Perkin-Elmer PerkinElmer, Inc., previously styled Perkin-Elmer, is an American global corporation focused in the business areas of diagnostics, life science research, food, environmental and industrial testing. Its capabilities include detection, imaging, inf ...

as an optical design and consulting company. Richard served as president of the company until 1960, then became chairman of the board. The crater Perkin on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width ...

was named after him, while Elmer was named after his business partner. Perkin was married to Gladys Frelinghuysen Talmage who became CEO after he died. A decade later, Gladys commissioned a commemorative history to be written. One hundred copies were printed and distributed to friends.

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* 1906 births 1969 deaths Telescope manufacturers 20th-century American businesspeople {{astronomy-stub

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