Henry R. Towne
| Henry R. Towne | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | August 24, 1844 |
| Died | October 15, 1924 (aged 80) |
| Occupation | mechanical engineer |
| Known for | Yale & Towne Manufacturing Co. |
Henry Robinson Towne (August 24, 1844 in Philadelphia – October 15, 1924) was an American mechanical engineer and businessman, known as early systematizer of management.
Towne was born in Philadelphia in 1844 to John Henry and Maria (Tevis) T. Towne. He attended the University of Pennsylvania from 1861 to 1862, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall, but did not complete a degree. The university later awarded him an honorary master's degree.
Following his year of college, Towne found work as a draftsman at the Port Richmond Iron Works, which was owned by I. P. Morris, Towne & Co.. In 1863, Towne was put in charge of repair work for the union gunboat Massachusetts. During 1864-1866, Towne was placed in charge of erecting engines in monitors for the United States Navy. After the war, Towne went to Paris and studied physics at the Sorbonne. When he returned, he found employment with the firm of William Sellers & Co., in Philadelphia.
In the summer of 1868, Henry R. Towne was introduced to Linus Yale, Jr. by a mutual friend. Towne was, by this time, looking for a new business opportunity and had become impressed about the possibilities of Yale's new "cylinder" lock. In October 1868, the two men formed the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company, to be located in Stamford, Connecticut. Towne provided new capital and management of the firm, and Yale the invention. Yale died later in 1868, and Towne reorganized the company as Yale & Towne Manufacturing Co. Towne stepped down as chairman in 1915.
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