Warren Shattuck Locke (June 10, 1854- March 1, 1912) of Lancaster, MA, attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute during the 1870s, receiving a B.S. in 1874. He returned to WPI in later years and earned a M.E. in 1904. He began his career in manufacturing in Boston, 1874-1880, and then managed a machine company in Mexico City, 1883-1886. Locke joined RISD in 1887 as Instructor of the Mechanical Department, replacing Gardner C. Anthony. Locke taught Freehand, Elementary Mechanical, Machine, and Architectural Drawing. While at RISD, he wrote An Outline in Mechanical Drawing, published from 1888 until 1903. He left the school in 1891 to work in Canon City, CO as Superintendent of the American Zinc Lead Company.
Locke returned to RISD in 1893 as Headmaster, a position he held until 1901 when the RISD Board of Management appointed Eleazer B. Homer as the first Director of RISD. Locke served as head of the Mechanical Department from 1901 until his resignation in 1908. He joined the Providence Technical High School staff, teaching until his death.
From the guide to the Warren S. Locke papers, Locke (Warren S.) papers, 1893-1901, (Rhode Island School of Design Archives)