James Sargent

James Sargent (1824–1910) was an American locksmith and businessman. He founded the Sargent and Greenleaf company.

James Sargent
Born	December 1, 1824 Chester, Vermont
Died	January 12, 1910 (aged 85) Rochester, New York
Resting place	Mount Hope Cemetery
Occupation	Locksmith, businessman
Spouse(s)	Angelina Foster ​ (m. 1847)​
Children	1
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Biography

Sargent was born in Chester, Vermont on December 1, 1824.[1] He married Angelina Foster in 1847; they had one daughter.[2]

In 1865, Sargent established the Sargent and Greenleaf company.[3]

Later in life, he founded the Sargent Automated Railway Signal Company, one of several predecessors of the General Railway Signal company.[4]

He died at his home in Rochester, New York on January 12, 1910, and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.[2]

Notable innovations

• In 1857 Sargent had designed the "Sargent's Magnetic Bank Lock", said to be the first successful key changeable combination lock.

• In 1873 Sargent created the first time lock, using parts from eight-day clocks.[4]

• In 1880 Sargent connected one of his combination locks to a delay timer, creating the first time-delay combination locks.

References

1. Rothschild, Alan; Rothschild, Ann (2015). Make: inventing a better mousetrap : 200 years of American history in the amazing world of patent models. Maker Media, Inc. pp. 49–51. ISBN 978-1457187148 – via Google Books.
2. "Ill Only Few Hours, James Sargent Dies" (PDF). Democrat and Chronicle. January 13, 1910.
3. "S&G | About". Sargent and Greenleaf. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
4. Shillling, Donovan (2015). Made in Rochester. Pancoast Publishing. pp. 220–221. ISBN 978-0983849667 – via Google Books.