Edwin Binney (November 24, 1866 – December 17, 1934) was an American entrepreneur and inventor, who created the first dustless white chalk, and along with his cousin C. Harold Smith (born London, 1860 - died, 1931), was the founder of handicrafts company Binney & Smith, which marketed his invention of the Crayola crayon.

While experimenting with a mixture of slate waste, cement, and talc, Binney created the first dustless white chalk.

He co-founded the firm Binney & Smith, which in 1902 had created a new wax crayon used to mark crates and barrels, but it was loaded with carbon black and too toxic for use by children.

His wife, Alice Binney, created the portmanteau name of the brand by combining elements of two words: craie (French for chalk) and ola for "oleaginous" (meaning "oily"),[1][2] since the crayons were made using a petroleum-based wax.

[4] In 1929, he helped to keep the St. Lucie County Bank from succumbing to the poor economic conditions prevalent at that time.