born Oct. 16, 1803, Willington Quay, Northumberland, Eng.
died Oct. 12, 1859, London
British civil engineer and builder of long-span railroad bridges.
The son of George Stephenson , he assisted his father in constructing the Rocket and several railways. Building a railway from Newcastle to Berwick, he spanned the River Tyne with a six-arch iron bridge. Called on to build a secure railroad bridge over the Menai Strait to the Welsh mainland, Stephenson conceived a unique tubular design, the success of which led to his building other tubular bridges in England and elsewhere.