Timothy S. Leatherman
American businessman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Timothy S. Leatherman is an American businessman and the founder and Shareholder of Leatherman Tool Group, Inc..
Timothy S. Leatherman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Portland, Oregon, U.S.[1] |
| Education | Oregon State University |
| Occupations | Businessman, inventor |
| Organization(s) | Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. |
| Known for | Namesake Leatherman multi-tools |
Biography
Leatherman graduated from Oregon State University in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.[2] According to 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."[3] It took him several years afterwards to refine his idea, and he was granted a patent on the first Leatherman tool in 1980.[4] 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.[3]