George S. Morison
George S. Morison | |
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| Born | December 19, 1842 New Bedford, Massachusetts |
| Died | July 1, 1903 New York, New York |
| Occupation(s) | lawyer and civil engineer |
| Known for | bridge designer |
George Shattuck Morison (December 19, 1842 – July 1, 1903) was trained to be a lawyer, but became an engineer and the leading bridge designer of his time.
History
Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, he was the son of John Hopkins Morison, a Unitarian minister. At age 14, he entered Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated by age 16. He went on to Harvard College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1863 when he was just 20. After a brief break he attended Harvard Law School where he would receive a Bachelor of Laws degree by 1866 and was admitted to the New York Bar. In 1867, with only general mathematics training and an aptitude for mechanics, he abandoned the practice of law and pursued a career as a civil engineer and builder of bridges. He would apprentice under the supervision of engineer Octave Chanute during the construction of the first bridge to cross the Missouri River, the swing-span Kansas City Bridge.
He is known for many steel truss bridges he designed, including several crossing the Missouri River, Ohio River and the Mississippi River. The 1892, Memphis Bridge is considered to be his crowning achievement, as it was the largest bridge he would design and the first bridge to span the difficult Lower Mississippi River.
Morison was a member of several important engineering committees, the most important of which was the Isthmus Canal Commission. He was instrumental in changing its recommended location from Nicaragua to Panama.
Morison died in his rooms at 36 West 50th Street in New York, and was buried in Peterborough, New Hampshire, where he had a summer home (and designed the town library).[1]
See also
- Alton Bridge[2]
- Burlington Rail Bridge
- Cairo Rail Bridge
- Maroon Creek Bridge
- Frisco Bridge
- Taft Bridge
References
- Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress) – Survey number HAER NE-2. 500+ data pages discuss Chief Engineer George S. Morison and his many bridges
External links
- Midwest bridges by Morison
- George S. Morison at Structurae – Partial listing of Morison's Bridges
- Story of Morison's fight for the Panama location
- Personal stories by a descendant
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1842 births
- 1903 deaths
- Phillips Exeter Academy alumni
- Harvard Law School alumni
- People from New Bedford, Massachusetts
- People from Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
- American engineers
- American civil engineers
- American people in rail transportation
- American railroad mechanical engineers
- Harvard University alumni