Linus Yale Sr.

Linus Yale
Born(1797-04-27)April 27, 1797
DiedAugust 8, 1858(1858-08-08) (aged 61)
Resting placeNewport Cemetery, Newport, Herkimer County, New York, U.S.
OccupationsBusinessman, inventor, metalsmith, politician
Known forMultiple patents including pin tumbler locks. Father of Linus Yale Jr
ChildrenLinus Yale Jr.
RelativesJohn B. Yale, grandson
Julian L. Yale, grandson
Merton Yale Cady, grandson
Madeline Yale, granddaughter
John Deere Cady, great-grandson
William Yale Giles, great-great-great-grandson
FamilyYale

Linus Yale (April 27, 1797 – August 8, 1858) was an American businessman, inventor, metalsmith and politician. He was a founder with his son Linus Yale Jr. of the Yale Lock Company, an American manufacturer of bank locks, and served as the first Mayor of Newport, New York. His family were also notable gun-machine makers in Vermont and Massachusetts during the Civil War, supplying Lincoln's Union Army with muskets and interchangeable parts.

Toward the end of his life, Yale's enterprise obtained from the US Treasury Department the contract to become the sole supplier of all the new bank locks, mints, sub-treasuries and custom-houses in the United States.