Home > Science Fact Finder > Bridges, Buildings, and Other Structures - Who Is Known As The Founder Of Civil Engineering?

Bridges, Buildings, and Other Structures - Who Is Known As The Founder Of Civil Engineering?

Who is known as the founder of civil engineering?

Scottish engineer Thomas Telford (1757-1834), the first president of the Institute of Civil Engineers (founded in 1818), is considered the founder of the civil engineering profession. Civil engineering is the designing and construction of public works such as bridges, dams, and other structures. Beginning in 1802, he oversaw the construction of more than 900 miles (1,448 kilometers) of roads throughout Scotland, as well as 1,200 bridges and several harbors. Telford also oversaw the construction of the 194-mile (312-kilometer) road connecting London, England, and Holyhead, Wales.

Among Telford's greatest works are: the Menai Strait Suspension Bridge between the Welsh mainland and the Isle of Anglesey; two aqueducts (overground water transport systems) carrying the Ellesmere Canal over the Ceiriog and Dee valleys in Wales; the Gotha Canal across southern Sweden;...

[The entire page is 212 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the: