Washington Roebling
Early Life
Washington Roebling was born on May 26, 1837, in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. He was the second son of John Augustus Roebling, a civil engineer and the designer of the Brooklyn Bridge. His father was a German immigrant who had arrived in the United States in 1831. Washington's mother, Johanna Herting, was also a German immigrant.
Washington Roebling attended school in Trenton, New Jersey, where his father had relocated the family in 1848 to establish a wire rope manufacturing business. He then went on to study civil engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Career
After graduating in 1857, Washington joined his father's engineering firm, where he worked on several bridge projects. His first significant project was the Allegheny Suspension Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In 1861, with the outbreak of the American Civil War, Washington enlisted in the Union Army. He served with distinction, rising to the rank of colonel, and participated in the Battle of Gettysburg among other significant battles. His experiences in the war, particularly his involvement in bridge construction and balloon reconnaissance, would later prove invaluable in his engineering career.
After the war, Washington returned to his father's firm and was soon involved in the most significant project of his career - the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. His father had designed the bridge but died in 1869 from tetanus, leaving Washington to take over as chief engineer.
The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge was fraught with difficulties. Washington himself suffered from decompression sickness, also known as "the bends", due to working in the pressurized caissons used to build the bridge's foundations. The condition left him partially paralyzed and unable to visit the construction site. Despite this, he continued to supervise the project from his home, using a telescope to observe the work and sending instructions to his assistants via his wife, Emily Roebling.
The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, and its successful construction despite numerous challenges cemented Washington Roebling's reputation as a leading civil engineer.
Later Life and Legacy
After the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge, Washington continued to work on other engineering projects, but none matched the scale or significance of the bridge. He also became involved in several business ventures, including mining and real estate.
Washington Roebling died on July 21, 1926, in Trenton, New Jersey. His contributions to civil engineering, particularly his work on the Brooklyn Bridge, continue to be recognized today. The bridge itself is considered a landmark of New York City and a testament to the engineering prowess of the Roebling family.
