12 Famous & Influential Locksmiths, Safecrackers, & Criminals  

Locksmiths are experts devoted to the craft of creating and repairing locks and similar security mechanisms. Locksmithing has been around for thousands of years, but innovations in lock security developed in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Locksmiths worked against the efforts of safecrackers and other criminals. These individuals prided themselves on cracking open safes and picking the toughest locks. 

The following is our list of the most famous and influential locksmiths, as well as their more devious safecracking counterparts. These individuals are remembered for their contributions to the field of locksmithing, whether good or bad. 

1) Robert Barron

1736-1794

Robert Barron was an English locksmith who developed the the double tumbler lock in 1778. This lock provided higher security than other models available at the time. 

The lock possessed little levers, or  “stumps” inside that projected from the mechanism. The proper key had to lift these stumps through the lock’s gate mechanism in order to open. 

2) Joseph Bramah

1748-1814

Joseph Bramah was an English inventor and locksmith who is remembered as a father of hydraulic engineering. He started his career as a carpenter’s apprentice. 

He often worked on toilets, and improved their functionality. Bramah started his lock company in 1784. He created a challenge lock for display in his shop window that remained unpicked for over 67 years. 

3) Louis XVI

1754-1793

The infamous Louis XVI may be best remembered for incompetently running France prior to the French Revolution, but he was also a hobbyist locksmith. 

Louis had a blacksmithing forge installed above his library. He often retreated there as the politics surrounding his reign worsened. 

Louis’s hobby was not popular in the French court and the general public. His fixation on locksmithing added to his image of incompetency.

4) Jeremiah Chubb

Jeremiah Chubb created the Chubb detector lock after the British government created a contest for high security locks. The lock contained a detector lever for wrong keys or picking attempts. 

Chubb’s invention won him 100 guineas and helped him establish a great reputation in the world of locksmithing. 

Chubb and his brother Charles founded Chubb Locks in 1820. 

5) Alfred Charles Hobbs

1812-1891

Alfred Charles Hobbs was born in Massachusetts and worked as a locksmith. He attended the Great Exhibition of 1851 in England and was the first to successfully open locks created by Bramah and Chubbs. 

6) Linus Yale Jr.

1821-1868

Linus Yale Jr. was a locksmith who excelled at crafting high security bank locks and combination locks. He opened his store Yale Lock Shop to sell his innovative locks. 

7) James Sargent

1824-1910

James Sargent was a highly inventive locksmith who is credited with designing the magnetic bank lock, time lock, and time delay combination lock. 

In 1865, Sargent founded Sargent & Green Leaf Co., which provided locking devices for a wide range of sectors.  

8) Fredericka Mandelbaum

1825-1894

Fredericka Mandelbaum was a criminal fence, or mover, for gangs in New York City. She operated in the dangerous years following the Civil War. 

Mandelbaum financed and organized crimes across the city. She even opened and operated a school for young pickpockets. This school served as recruiting grounds for new members of her crime gangs. 

Mandelbaum was eventually investigated by the Pinkerton Detective Agency. She was arrested but released on bail and fled to Canada. 

9) George Leslie

1842-1878

George Leslie, “king of bank robbers,” was a criminal mastermind who started out as an architect in Cincinnati. He eventually turned to crime and used his skills as an architect to become one of the most successful bank robbers in history.

Leslie used several tactics to scope out banks and rob them without getting caught. He obtained blueprints of bank layouts and often visited banks several times to familiarize himself with the environments. 

Leslie used a wire called Little Joker, which he placed inside locks. As the locks were opened, the wire would obtain marks that corresponded with the numbers of the combination. 

A whopping 80% of all bank robberies in America in the years following the Civil War are attributed to George Leslie and his gang. 

While members of his gang were eventually caught, Leslie evaded the police. He was found murdered in 1878.

10) Harry Houdini

1874-1926

Harry Houdini worked for a locksmith before becoming a magician and escape artist. He collected and studied locks his entire life to learn how to escape from them. 

Houdini was so skilled at picking locks that locksmithing companies would send him locks to test. 

11) Harry Soref

1887-1957

Harry Soref was a Ukrainian immigrant who founded the Master Lock company in Milwaukee. He wanted to create inexpensive yet safe locks. This was achieved by using laminated steel. 

Soref, while highly successful, lived a modest life. He promoted fairness between his employees. 

12) Johnny Ramensky

1906-1972

Johnny Ramensky, or “Gentle Johnny,” was a Scottish career criminal and commando who served in World War II. Ramensky began committing crimes at only eleven and was sent to a juvenile detention center in his teens. 

His work in coal mines throughout his youth introduced him to the use of dynamite and explosives. Ramensky spent some time in prison before requesting to join the army. 

He served in the number 30 commando and used his skills as a safecracker to complete missions. It is said that Gentle Johnny cracked 14 enemy safes in just one day during the Italian campaign. 

Ramensky also served as a translator for Lithuanian war prisoners.  

Ramensky allegedly stole Nazi loot during the Allied March on Rome in 1944.