William Milnor Roberts
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William Milnor Roberts (February 12, 1810 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – July 14, 1881 in Soledad, Brazil) was an American civil engineer. As a young civil engineer involved in the construction of the Eads Bridge, the chief engineer of Northern Pacific Railroad, America's second transcontinental railroad, and president of the American Society of Civil Engineers scarcely two decades after its founding, Roberts was one of the most prolific and prominent civil engineer of his generation in the United States.
Personal life
Roberts was born to Thomas Paschall and Mary Louise (Baker) Roberts. He married Annie Gibson in June, 1837. He married Adeline Beelen in November, 1868. He had at least nine children.
Career
In 1826, he served as an assistant in survey and construction, Lehigh Canal, between Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia.
From 1831 to 1834, he served as senior assistant engineer for the proposed Allegheny Portage Railroad, and general manager from 1834 to 1835.
In 1837, he served as chief engineer, Lancaster and Harrisburg. He was in charge of construction of a two-level lattice-truss bridge across the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
From 1834 to 1840, he was in charge of extensions of Pennsylvania State Canals; Bellefontaine and Indiana, Allegheny Valley, Atlantic and Mississippi, and Iron Mountain.
From 1855 to 1857, he was chairman, Commission to Consider Reconstruction of Allegheny Portage; constructed railroads in Middle West.
In 1865, he contracted to build Don Pedro Segundo, Brazil. In 1866, he proposed improvements to the Mississippi River at Keokuk, Iowa.
In 1866, he was the U.S. engineer in charge of improvement of navigation of Ohio River, established the Office of Ohio River Improvement at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1]
In 1868, he served as associate chief engineer in construction of Eads Bridge across Mississippi River at St. Louis. From 1869 to 1879, he was engineer-in-chief of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
From 1879 to 1881, he was a member of the Mississippi River Jetty Commission and chief engineer, all public works in Brazil. He served as vice-president of the American Society of Civil Engineers from 1873 to 1878, and as president in 1878.
References
Bibliography
No author. The National Cyclopedia of American Biography. New York: James T. White, 1940, p. 447.
Further reading
- William Milnor Roberts Papers (1828-1959), Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections Library, Montana State University Collection website
