Timothy S. Leatherman
Timothy S. Leatherman is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.. Leatherman graduated from Oregon State University in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.[1] According to an article in The Oregonian, "Leatherman came up with the idea of a 'Boy Scout knife with pliers' during a 1975 driving tour of Europe with his wife, when he was unable to use his pocket knife to fix his repeatedly malfunctioning car."[2] It took him several months afterwards to refine his idea, and he was granted a patent on the first Leatherman tool in 1980.[3] Leatherman spent the next few years attempting to market his product to large companies with technical staff, such as AT&T, but this was largely unsuccessful. The tool eventually gained popularity through mail order catalogues.[2]
References
- "Timothy S. Leatherman : Oregon Stater Academy of Distinguished Engineers : College of Engineering - Oregon State University". 1999 Academy of Distinguished Engineers. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
- "Leatherman Tools, Leatherman Knives, Leatherman Pocket Pliers, Leatherman Products - ShopLeatherman.com". R.N. Product Guide for Leatherman tools and knives. Archived from the original on 17 November 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
- "Leatherman - Overview - Free Online Library". Leatherman Overview. Retrieved 4 April 2010.