Henry Birks (30 November 1840 - 16 April 1928) was a Canadian businessman and founder of Henry Birks and Sons, a chain of high-end Canadian jewellery stores. He was born to English immigrants from Yorkshire, England. His parents moved to Canada in 1832.Son of John Birks, a pharmacist, and Ann Marie.He did his schooling in commercial studies at High School Of Montreal. In 1857, Birks was hired as a clerk at Savage and Lyman in Montreal, reputed to be the finest jeweller and watchmaker in the Province of Canada at that time. Although Birks eventually became a partner in the firm in 1868, the company's later financial difficulties encouraged Birks to leave in 1877.