Linus Yale, Jr.

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Linus Yale, Jr. bigraphy, stories - American mechanical engineer

Linus Yale, Jr. : biography

4 December 1821 – 25 December 1868

Linus Yale, Jr. (4 April 1821 – 25 December 1868) was an American mechanical engineer and manufacturer, best known for his inventions of locks, especially the cylinder lock. His basic lock design is still widely distributed in today’s society, and constitute a majority of personal locks and safes. Linus Yale, Jr. was born in Salisbury, NY. Yale’s father, Linus Yale, Sr. opened a lock shop in the 1840s in Newport, NY, specializing in bank locks. Yale soon joined his father in his business and introduced some revolutionary locks that utilized permutations and cylinders. He later founded a company with Henry Robinson Towne called the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company in the South End section of Stamford, CT. Throughout his career in lock manufacturing, Yale acquired numerous patents for his inventions and received widespread acclaim from clients regarding his products.

Yale Manufacturing Company

In 1868, Yale and Henry Robinson Towne (b. 1844, d. 1924) founded the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company in Stamford, CT, to produce cylinder locks.

Development

Under Yale’s ingenuity and wide promotion of his inventions, Yale Locks quickly spread around major corporations in the United States and were widely adopted. Among some of Yale’s business tactics were exploiting the weakness in previously took the and locks and presenting how his locks were free of those vices; he did live demonstrations to corporate business executives and government officials that showed how he successfully picked the locks that were in operation. Due to these demonstrations and the sheer quality of Yale’s locks, Yale Lock Manufacturing quickly gained business ground. The company’s name was later changed to The Yale and Towne Manufacturing Company, which eventually became part of NACCO Industries.

Cracking the Hobbs Lock

The prominent bank locks of Yale’s day were the Hobbs or Newell locks. In an effort to present his locks over the continued usage of the Hobbs Locks, Yale contacted notable bankers and set up a live demonstration in which he successfully picked a Hobbs Lock. As described by Samuel Hammond, one of the bankers present at Yale’s demonstration, “[he] proved that the Hobbs lock is able to be picked and demonstrated it using a fake wooden key that he made.” [1]

Challenge to the World

As part of Yale’s business plan and effort to promote his Bank Locks, Yale presented a challenge to anyone who dared to pick his bank locks. He offered a $3000 (a hefty sum) reward to potential challengers, in the event that his locks were successfully picked.

Testimonials and Success

The utility of Yale Locks were soon widely approved and favored upon, and implemented by many firms and government agencies, including the U.S. Treasury Department, Mint of the U.S. in Philadelphia, PA, among various CEOs and Presidents of major corporations. The clients’ satisfaction in Yale’s inventions was echoed in their appreciation letters addressed to Yale: [1]

“Briggs Bank, Clyde, April 30, 1856 Linus Yale, Jr., Dear Sir: *** About two months since, during a dark and stormy night, our bank was entered by burglars, through an adjoining cellar wall, and the vault, which was of brick, was pierced, which left us without any other protection than one of your highly approved chilled iron Burglar-Proof Safes, with your magic lock attached; these we deem sufficient, for they successfully resisted all the various devices and expedients known and practiced by burglars. We have the most implicit confidence in their strength and safety, and feel assured that when once locked, we are more secure than we should be with any other safe and lock ever yet invented. Yours, respectfully, WH. H. Coffin, Cashier.”

“I am convinced to this knowledge of the true principles of locks has enabled [Yale], in his lock, to overcome not only this, but every other know method of picking; and, in fact, I consider it and all respects superior to any other lock in the market.” -Samuel Hammond. NY, January 12, 1856