Jacob W. Davis Jacob W. Davis Jacob Davis ca. 1905 Born Jacob Youphes ( Jākobs Jufess ) 1831 Riga , Russian Empire (now Latvia ) Died 1908 San Francisco , California , United States Citizenship Russian Empire United States Occupation Tailor , Inventor , and Entrepreneur Known for Invention of Jeans Spouse(s) Annie Davis ( Parksher ) Children 6 Jacob W. Davis (born Jacob Youphes , Latvian : Jākobs Jufess , Russian : Якоб Йофис ) (1831–1908) was a tailor who helped change the world of clothing by being the first person to create working pants with reinforcement copper rivets . Early life Jacob Youphes was born in the city of Riga , then Russian Empire , today Latvia , in 1831. During his time in Riga city, he trained and worked as a tailor. [1] Emigration to America [ edit ] In 1854, at the age of 23, he emigrated from the Russian Empire to the United States , arriving in New York where he changed his name to Jacob Davis. There he
