David Lincoln Rowland (February 12, 1924 – August 13, 2010) was an American industrial designer noted for inventing the 40/4 Chair.

Rowland later showed the chair to Davis Allen, head of interior design at the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).

To fulfill the request, Rowland licensed the design to General Fireproofing Co. (GF) in Youngstown, Ohio.

[19][20] In May 1965, While the first order for was still being produced, 250 chairs were hand assembled and installed in the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City for the opening of its new wing.

[1] Twenty-five hundred 40/4s were installed in St. Paul's Cathedral in London in 1973, site of the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana,[2] and remain in use.

[26][27] In 2010, Contract Design Magazine named the 40/4 chair number one of the top 10 commercial interiors products of the past 50 years.