Mr Henry Charles Harrington was born in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, England in early 1875, later being baptised on 7 February that same year.

He was the son of Frank Harrington (b. 1846), a game and forest keeper, and Eliza Chilcott (b. 1849), both Hampshire natives of Fordingbridge and Romsey respectively who were married in 1869. He had six known siblings: Kate (b. 1870), Amelia (b. 1872), Walter (b. 1877), Rosa Jane (b. 1879), William Frank (b. 1885) and Frances Louise (b. 1887). 

He first appears on the 1881 census living in Canterton, Minstead, Hampshire and would be in the same locality by the time of the 1891 census, then aged 16 and already having left school and working as a domestic servant. His parents later moved to Cadnam, Hampshire and his father died in 1901, with his mother then working as a school caretaker to make ends meet.

Henry later moved to London and by the time of the 1901 census was living at 21 Hertford Street, St George's and was a footman to Francis Leveson Bertie (1844-1919), the assistant under-secretary of the British Foreign Office and later Ambassador to Italy and France. How long Henry continued in his employ is unknown. By 1912 he was employed as the personal manservant to a wealthy Washington businessman, Clarence Moore; again it is not clear how long Harrington had been in his service but he lived at the Moor's extravagant home in Washington at 1746 Massachusetts Avenue and was reportedly earning in excess of $1200 per year. He was unmarried.

Harrington boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a first class passenger (ticket number 113796 which cost £42, 8s). His employer had been in England on a business and leisure trip and was returning to Washington, DC. Both men lost their lives in the disaster and Henry's body, if recovered, was never identified.

Following his death his estate worth £185 was administered to his brother Walter, a policeman, on 1 April 1913. His brother and mother also claimed for damages from the owners of Titanic, suing for £25,000.

His mother remained in Hampshire for the rest of her life and she died in 1938.