| Washington Augustus Roebling | |
 Washington Augustus Roebling (1837-1926) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Name | Washington Augustus Roebling |
| Nationality | American (German-heritage) |
| Birth date | May 26, 1837 |
| Birth place | Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Date of death | July 21, 1926 |
| Place of death | Trenton, New Jersey, USA |
| Work | |
| Significant buildings | Allegheny Bridge, Cincinnati-Covington Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge |
Washington Augustus Roebling (May 26, 1837 – July 21, 1926) was an American civil engineer best known for his work on the Brooklyn Bridge, which was initially designed by his father John A. Roebling. Saxonburg is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 1837 ( MDCCCXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A civil engineer is a person who practices Civil engineering, one of the many engineering professions The Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest Suspension bridges in the United States, stretches 5989 feet (1825 m over the East River connecting the John Augustus Roebling (born Johann August Röbling, June 12, 1806 in Mühlhausen - July 22, 1869) was a German-born
The eldest son of John Roebling, Washington was born in the Pittsburgh area of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, a town co-founded by his father and his uncle, Karl Roebling. Saxonburg is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. Growing up in a strict Prussian home, his early schooling consisted of tutoring by Riedel and under Henne in Pittsburgh. He eventually attended the Trenton Academy and acquired further education at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, from 1854-57. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or RPI, is a Nonsectarian private Research University located in Troy, New York Troy is a City in New York, US, and the County seat of Rensselaer County. Following his graduation as civil engineer (C. A civil engineer is a person who practices Civil engineering, one of the many engineering professions E. ), he joined his father to work as a bridge builder. A bridge is a Structure built to span a Gorge, Valley, Road, railroad track, River, Body of water From 1858 to 1860, he assisted his father on the Allegheny Bridge project, living in a boarding house on Penn Street. Following the completion of the bridge, he returned to Trenton to work in his father's wire mill.
On April 16, 1861, Roebling enlisted as a private in the New Jersey Militia. Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Seeking more than garrison duty, he resigned after two months and re-enlisted with the New York Artillery, United States Army. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. During the American Civil War, Roebling saw action repeatedly, most notably at the Battle of Gettysburg. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Background and movement to battle See also [[Gettysburg Campaign]] [[Gettysburg Battlefield]] [[Gettysburg Confederate order of battle]] [[Confederate order of battle]] Days before the battle started, he noted the movement of Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army toward the North while conducting air balloon reconnaissance. Robert Edward Lee (January 19 1807 &ndash October 12 1870 was a career United States Army officer, an Engineer, and among the most celebrated The War Department was established by the Confederate Congress in an act on February 21, 1861. On July 2, 1863, Roebling was one of the initial soldiers on Little Round Top. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common See also Battle of Gettysburg Second Day See also [[Gettysburg Battlefield]] [[Gettysburg Confederate order of battle]] [[Confederate order of battle]] and [[Gettysburg Brig. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, for whom Roebling was aide-de-camp, ordered him to find a regiment to secure its important tactical position. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Gouverneur Kemble Warren ( January 8, 1830 &ndash August 8, 1882) was a Civil engineer and prominent general in the The first regiment he came upon was commanded by Col. Strong Vincent of the V Corps, whose brigade immediately occupied the hill and defended the left flank of the Army of the Potomac against repeated Confederate attacks. Strong Vincent (June 17 1837 &ndash July 7 1863 was a lawyer who became famous as a U The V Corps ( Fifth Corps) was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Roebling assisted in hoisting artillery up the hill with several others.
Roebling was brevetted lieutenant colonel in December 1864 for gallant service, ending his service brevetted colonel. In the UK and US military brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a Commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily but usually without receiving Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country From mid-1865 to 1867, he worked with his father on the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge (now the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge). The John A Roebling Suspension Bridge spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati Ohio and Covington Kentucky. While traveling in Europe to research bridges and caisson foundations, his only son, John A. Roebling, II, was born. After returning in 1868, Washington became assistant engineer on the Brooklyn Bridge, and rose to chief engineer after his father's death in mid-1869. He made several important improvements on the bridge design and further developed bridge building techniques.
Decompression sickness ("the bends") due to working in compressed air under the river, combined with over work, shattered his health and rendered him unable to visit the site, but he continued to oversee the Brooklyn project to successful completion in 1883. Decompression sickness (DCS, the diver’s disease, the bends, caisson disease is the name given to a variety of symptoms suffered by a person Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common His wife, Emily Warren Roebling, took over the day-to-day supervision and visits to the site and successfully lobbied for retention of him as chief engineer. Emily Warren Roebling (1843 &ndash 1903 was born to Phoebe Lickley and Sylvanus Warren in the village of Cold Spring New York, on the eastern shore of the Hudson River Roebling would battle the after-effects from the disease and various treatments the rest of his life.
Following the Brooklyn project, Roebling and his wife lived in Troy, New York, from 1884-88, as their only child, John A. Roebling, II, also attended the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or RPI, is a Nonsectarian private Research University located in Troy, New York When their son graduated, the Roeblings returned to Trenton, moving to 191 West State Street in 1892. From 1902-1903 Roebling served as President of the Alumni Association at Rensselaer. His wife Emily died in 1903 from stomach cancer. Roebling remarried in 1908 to Cornelia Witsell Farrow of Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina.
His namesake, Washington Augustus Roebling II, only son of his brother Charles G. Roebling, went down with the RMS Titanic in 1912. Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland
Following the sudden death of his nephew, Karl Gustavus Roebling, in 1921, Roebling again became president of John A. Roebling's Sons Company at age 84. He died in 1926, after being bedridden for two months, at age 89.
Roebling's most passionate hobby was collecting rocks and minerals. In Geology, rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of Minerals and/or Mineraloids The Earth's outer solid layer the ‘ Lithosphere A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific His collection of over 16,000 specimens was donated by his son, John A. Roebling, II, to the Smithsonian Institution and became an important part of its mineral and gem collection. The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of
A plethora of his manuscripts, photographs, and publications, can be found in the Roebling collections at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Rutgers The State University of New Jersey (also known as Rutgers University) is the largest institution for higher education in the state of New Jersey New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or RPI, is a Nonsectarian private Research University located in Troy, New York Troy is a City in New York, US, and the County seat of Rensselaer County.
Further reading
- McCullough, David. (1972). The Great Bridge. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-21213-3
- McCullough, David. (1992). Brave Companions. New York, NY: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-671-79276-8
- Sayenga, Donald. (1983; 2nd ed. 2001) Ellet and Roebling ISBN 0-930973-25-9
- Schuyler, Hamilton. (1931). The Roeblings: A Century of Engineers, Bridge Builders, and Industrialists. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
- Steinman, David B. (1945). The Builders of the Bridge. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company.
External links
- Roebling on civilwarstudies.org
- Washington Augustus Roebling information at Structurae
- Biography and photograph on inventionfactory.com
- Emily Warren Roebling & Washington A. Roebling at Rensselaer Hall of Fame
- Roebling Collection at Rensselaer Library
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