born Aug. 9, 1757, near Westerkirk, Dumfries, Scot.
died Sept. 2, 1834, London, Eng.
Scottish civil engineer.
He built the Ellesmere, Caledonian, and Göta canals and the St. Katherine's Docks in London. His crowning achievement was the design and construction (1819–26) of the great Menai Bridge, a suspension bridge in Wales. In all he built some 1,200 bridges, over 1,000 miles of road, and many buildings. He was the first president of the British Institution of Civil Engineers (founded 1818).