John J. Loud

John Jacob Loud was an American lawyer and inventor who lived from 1844 to 1916 and who is best known for inventing the ballpoint pen. Trained as a lawyer at Harvard College, he worked as a cashier at the Union National Bank in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and was active in his community as a member of his church, a trustee of many local organizations and a member of local historical societies. In 1888 he invented and obtained a patent for what is considered to be the first ballpoint pen, but the invention was not commercialized and the patent eventually lapsed.