Henry Fitz was an American engineer, scientist, locksmith, optician, and inventor. As a teenager, one of his hobbies was astronomy, which led to him making telescopes. Fritz became a manufacturer of telescopes and the first American to make large high-end sophisticated refracting telescopes. He made telescopes for wealthy individuals, institutions, colleges, and universities throughout the United States, some of which are still in use. His larger telescopes are used to take pictures of planets and stars.