Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
Benson Lossing, Ed.

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Roebling, John Augustus 1806-1869

Civil engineer: born in Muhlhausen, Germany, June

John Augustus Roebling.

12, 1806; graduated at the Berlin Royal Polytechnic School in 1826; came to the United States in 1829, and settled near Pittsburg, Pa. Later he began the manufacture of iron and steel wire, which he discovered could be used with efficacy in the building of bridges. In 1844-45 he directed the construction of a bridge over the Alleghany River at Pittsburg, in which were used the first suspension wire cables ever seen in the United States. After successfully building several other suspension bridges he moved his wire factory to Trenton, N. J. In 1851-55 he constructed the New York Central Railroad suspension bridge across the Niagara River. This work at the time was considered one of the wonders of the world, and was followed by the construction of other great bridges, including that between Cincinnati and Covington. In 1868 he was appointed chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, his plans for which had been approved by a commission of eminent engineers. He was the author of Long and short span Railway bridges. He died in Brooklyn, N. Y., July 22, 1869.