Laroy Sunderland Starrett (1836 – 1922) was a businessman and inventor. He founded the L. S. Starrett Company

L. S. Starrett Company

L. S. Starrett Company is an American manufacturer of tools and instruments. Its products are well known among machinists and tool and die makers. The company was founded when businessman and inventor Laroy Sunderland Starrett , who was born in China, Maine, bought the Athol Machine Company in 1905...

 in Athol, Massachusetts

Athol, Massachusetts

Athol is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,584 at the 2010 census.-History:Originally called Pequoiag, the area was first settled by five families in September 1735. When the township was incorporated in 1762, the name was changed to Athol...

 and held about 100 patent

Patent

A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....

s for various inventions.

Starrett was born in China, Maine

China, Maine

China is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,106 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....

.

He rented a farm at the age of twenty-six in Newburyport, Massachusetts

Newburyport, Massachusetts

Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...

. He was very successful at farming, and was always tinkering with new tools and new techniques.

Starrett's first invention was a meat chopping machine that he called the Hasher. After his success with this invention, he left farming behind and turned to the world of business.

He eventually bought the Athol Machine Company in 1905.

He patented such items as the sliding combination square

Combination square

A combination square is a tool used for multiple purposes in woodworking, stonemasonry and metalworking. It is composed of a ruled blade and one or more interchangeable heads that may be affixed to it...

, bench vises

Vise (tool)

A vise or vice is a mechanical screw apparatus used for holding or clamping a work piece to allow work to be performed on it with tools such as saws, planes, drills, mills, screwdrivers, sandpaper, etc. Vises usually have one fixed jaw and another, parallel, jaw which is moved towards or away from...

, and a shoe hook fastener. His company made precision steel rules and tapes

Tape measure

A tape measure or measuring tape is a flexible form of ruler. It consists of a ribbon of cloth, plastic, fiber glass, or metal strip with linear-measurement markings. It is a common measuring tool. Its flexibility allows for a measure of great length to be easily carried in pocket or toolkit and...

, caliper

Caliper

A caliper is a device used to measure the distance between two opposing sides of an object. A caliper can be as simple as a compass with inward or outward-facing points...

s, and micrometer

Micrometer

A micrometer , sometimes known as a micrometer screw gauge, is a device incorporating a calibrated screw used widely for precise measurement of small distances in mechanical engineering and machining as well as most mechanical trades, along with other metrological instruments such as dial, vernier,...

s, among other things.