Edwin Binney
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons10

Edwin Binney

American entrepreneur and inventor

Edwin Binney (November 24, 1866 – December 17, 1934) was an American entrepreneur and inventor, who created the first dustless white chalk, and along with his cousin C. Harold Smith (born London, 1860 - died, 1931), was the founder of handicrafts company Binney & Smith, which marketed his invention of the Crayola crayon. The Binney family lived in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, as well as Fort Pierce, Florida.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Edwin Binney (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Nov 24, 1886, died Dec 17, 1934.1

Companies

Career

Occupation: inventor, entrepreneur, engineer.4

Personal life

  • BornNov 24, 1886, Westchester County5
  • CitizenshipGermany6

Binney was married to Alice Stead Binney (1866–1960), a London school teacher. Their land holding at Fort Pierce had been called Fort Pierce Farms, but Alice renamed it "Indrio", another portmanteau, from "Indian" (for the nearby Indian River) and rio (Spanish for river).

They had four children: Dorothy Binney, Helen Binney Kitchel, Mary, and Edwin Jr. Their daughter Helen became a four-time member of the Connecticut legislature. Their daughter Mary married a tree surgeon, James A.G. Davey. Their son, Edwin Jr, was an international swimmer and professor at Yale.

From Wikipedia’s article on Edwin Binney (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Awards

  • 2011National Inventors Hall of Fame7 8

Sources

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