James Sargent

For the member of the California State Assembly, see James Pattee Sargent.

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

James Sargent
Born	(1824-12-01)December 1, 1824 Chester, Vermont
Died	January 12, 1910(1910-01-12) (aged 85) Rochester, New York
Resting place	Mount Hope Cemetery
Occupation(s)	Locksmith, businessman
Spouse	Angelina Foster ​ (m. 1847)​
Children	1
Signature

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