Benjamin Henry Latrobe II (December 19, 1806 – October 19, 1878) was an American civil engineer, best known for his railway bridges, and a railway executive.
He married Maria Eleanor "Ellen" Hazlehurst (1806–1872) of Altoona, Pennsylvania on March 12, 1833. They had four sons (two of whom survived childhood) and three daughters. Their eldest son, Charles Hazelhurst Latrobe (1833–1902), moved to Florida where he married and later joined the Confederate States Army. A civil engineer like his father and grandfather, Charles H. Latrobe later moved back to Baltimore where he served as the city's chief engineer for 25 years and continued to design public buildings and bridges noted for their beauty.[2][3] His brother, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, III (1840–1901) became an Episcopal Church priest and rector of the Church of Our Savior in Silver Spring, Maryland.[4]
Thomas Viaduct in 1970
Careeredit
Around 1820, Latrobe worked with his father to establish a water supply for New Orleans, Louisiana, moving back north after his father's unexpected death of typhoid and to work with his brother John as a lawyer in Baltimore.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) hired this Latrobe to work on a surveyor crew in the summer of 1830.[5][6]: 129 In 1832, as assistant engineer, Latrobe surveyed and planned the route for the Washington Branch.[7]: 47–8 For this route between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., he designed the Thomas Viaduct, which became the largest bridge in the United States when completed in 1835. The viaduct spans the Patapsco River between Relay and Elkridge, Maryland.[7]: 50 As the project engineer, Latrobe worked closely with the railroad's construction chief, Caspar Wever.[6]: 159–168 Nicknamed "Latrobe's Folly" by those who doubted the massive structure could support itself, the bridge remains in use today (as of 2019), carrying far heavier loads than ever envisioned.
Latrobe returned to the B&O in 1836. Along with Louis Wernwag, he designed the railroad's first bridge across the Potomac River at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, which opened in 1837.[7]: 34 In 1842, the B&O appointed him as Chief Engineer, succeeding his boss, Jonathan Knight. He served in the position for 22 years.[5][8]: 54 He was appointed to the concurrent position of general superintendent of the B&O in 1847.[8]: 57 He later became president of the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad,[5][8]: 113 part of the B&O's Pittsburgh District.[9]
Benjamin H. Latrobe II died in Baltimore, on October 19, 1878, and was buried in Green Mount Cemetery, whose landscape architecture he had designed, beside his wife.[11] His brother John H. B. Latrobe was on the cemetery's board of directors as well as helped found the Maryland Historical Society, which maintains the family papers.[12]
^"Rev. Benjamin Henry Latrobe, III b. 4 Dec 1840 Baltimore, Independent Cities, Maryland, USA d. 7 Jul 1901 Baltimore, Independent Cities, Maryland, USA: JHBL Genealogy".
^ abcTreese, Lorett (2003). Railroads of Pennsylvania: Fragments of the Past in the Keystone Landscape. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 194. ISBN9780811726221.
^ abDilts, James D. (1996). The Great Road: The Building of the Baltimore and Ohio, the Nation's First Railroad, 1828–1853. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN978-0-8047-2629-0.
^ abcHarwood, Herbert H., Jr. (1994). Impossible Challenge II: Baltimore to Washington and Harpers Ferry from 1828 to 1994. Baltimore, MD: Barnard, Roberts & Co. ISBN0934118221.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ abcdStover, John F. (1987). History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press. ISBN0-911198-81-4.
^Latrobe, Benjamin H. II (1869). Report of Benj. H. Latrobe, Consulting Engineer, on the Troy and Greenfield Railroad and Hoosac Tunnel. Boston.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^"Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Jr". TCLF.org. The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
benjamin, henry, latrobe, december, 1806, october, 1878, american, civil, engineer, best, known, railway, bridges, railway, executive, born, 1806, december, 1806philadelphia, pennsylvania, diedoctober, 1878, 1878, aged, baltimore, maryland, resting, placegreen. Benjamin Henry Latrobe II December 19 1806 October 19 1878 was an American civil engineer best known for his railway bridges and a railway executive Benjamin Henry Latrobe IIBorn 1806 12 19 December 19 1806Philadelphia Pennsylvania U S DiedOctober 19 1878 1878 10 19 aged 71 Baltimore Maryland U S Resting placeGreen Mount CemeteryBaltimore Maryland U S OccupationsEngineerrailway executiveSpouseMaria Eleanor Ellen Hazlehurst m 1833 died 1872 wbr Children7ParentBenjamin Henry Latrobe father RelativesJohn H B Latrobe brother Contents 1 Personal life 2 Career 3 Death and legacy 4 References 5 External linksPersonal life editBorn in Philadelphia Pennsylvania on December 19 1806 he was the youngest son of Benjamin Henry Latrobe who six years previously had married his second wife Mary Elizabeth Hazlehurst 1771 1841 of Philadelphia Three years earlier President Thomas Jefferson hired his father as Surveyor of Public Buildings in the new national capitol Washington D C 1 His father became best known as the second Architect of the Capitol because he redesigned the rebuilt United States Capitol after the British Army burned Washington in August 1814 during the War of 1812 The senior Latrobe also designed and supervised construction of the first Roman Catholic cathedral built in the United States the old Baltimore Cathedral later named the Basilica of the Assumption of Mary 1806 1821 as well as construction of the Chesapeake amp Delaware Canal He and his eldest son Henry Sellon Boneval Latrobe 1792 1817 died of yellow fever while working in New Orleans Louisiana His elder full brother John Hazlehurst Boneval Latrobe became a lawyer painter and inventor of the Baltimore heater an improvement upon the Franklin stove The younger Benjamin H Latrobe studied in Baltimore Maryland and later at Georgetown College in Georgetown just west of the new Federal City in the District of Columbia He married Maria Eleanor Ellen Hazlehurst 1806 1872 of Altoona Pennsylvania on March 12 1833 They had four sons two of whom survived childhood and three daughters Their eldest son Charles Hazelhurst Latrobe 1833 1902 moved to Florida where he married and later joined the Confederate States Army A civil engineer like his father and grandfather Charles H Latrobe later moved back to Baltimore where he served as the city s chief engineer for 25 years and continued to design public buildings and bridges noted for their beauty 2 3 His brother Benjamin Henry Latrobe III 1840 1901 became an Episcopal Church priest and rector of the Church of Our Savior in Silver Spring Maryland 4 nbsp Thomas Viaduct in 1970Career editAround 1820 Latrobe worked with his father to establish a water supply for New Orleans Louisiana moving back north after his father s unexpected death of typhoid and to work with his brother John as a lawyer in Baltimore The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad B amp O hired this Latrobe to work on a surveyor crew in the summer of 1830 5 6 129 In 1832 as assistant engineer Latrobe surveyed and planned the route for the Washington Branch 7 47 8 For this route between Baltimore and Washington D C he designed the Thomas Viaduct which became the largest bridge in the United States when completed in 1835 The viaduct spans the Patapsco River between Relay and Elkridge Maryland 7 50 As the project engineer Latrobe worked closely with the railroad s construction chief Caspar Wever 6 159 168 Nicknamed Latrobe s Folly by those who doubted the massive structure could support itself the bridge remains in use today as of 2019 carrying far heavier loads than ever envisioned In 1835 Latrobe became the chief engineer for the Baltimore and Port Deposit Railroad Company which helped build the first rail link between Philadelphia and Baltimore 8 38 Latrobe returned to the B amp O in 1836 Along with Louis Wernwag he designed the railroad s first bridge across the Potomac River at Harper s Ferry West Virginia which opened in 1837 7 34 In 1842 the B amp O appointed him as Chief Engineer succeeding his boss Jonathan Knight He served in the position for 22 years 5 8 54 He was appointed to the concurrent position of general superintendent of the B amp O in 1847 8 57 He later became president of the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad 5 8 113 part of the B amp O s Pittsburgh District 9 In the 1860s Latrobe became a consulting engineer for the Troy and Greenfield Railroad and worked on construction of the Hoosac Tunnel in Massachusetts then the second longest tunnel in the world 10 Death and legacy editBenjamin H Latrobe II died in Baltimore on October 19 1878 and was buried in Green Mount Cemetery whose landscape architecture he had designed beside his wife 11 His brother John H B Latrobe was on the cemetery s board of directors as well as helped found the Maryland Historical Society which maintains the family papers 12 References edit Benjamin Henry Latrobe The Latrobe Family and Charm City at Monument City Blog Archived from the original on April 25 2018 Retrieved April 24 2018 Latrobe Charles Hazelhurst in Concise Dictionary of American Biography 1964 New York Scribner s Rev Benjamin Henry Latrobe III b 4 Dec 1840 Baltimore Independent Cities Maryland USA d 7 Jul 1901 Baltimore Independent Cities Maryland USA JHBL Genealogy a b c Treese Lorett 2003 Railroads of Pennsylvania Fragments of the Past in the Keystone Landscape Mechanicsburg PA Stackpole Books p 194 ISBN 9780811726221 a b Dilts James D 1996 The Great Road The Building of the Baltimore and Ohio the Nation s First Railroad 1828 1853 Palo Alto CA Stanford University Press ISBN 978 0 8047 2629 0 a b c Harwood Herbert H Jr 1994 Impossible Challenge II Baltimore to Washington and Harpers Ferry from 1828 to 1994 Baltimore MD Barnard Roberts amp Co ISBN 0934118221 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b c d Stover John F 1987 History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad West Lafayette IN Purdue University Press ISBN 0 911198 81 4 Railroad History Pittsburgh Plan 1923 Latrobe Benjamin H II 1869 Report of Benj H Latrobe Consulting Engineer on the Troy and Greenfield Railroad and Hoosac Tunnel Boston a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Benjamin Henry Latrobe Jr TCLF org The Cultural Landscape Foundation Retrieved July 30 2019 John H B Latrobe MSA SC 3520 14346 External links editFamily tree in Genealogisches Handbuch der baltischen Ritterschaften Estland Gorlitz 1930 in German Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Benjamin Henry Latrobe II amp oldid 1121047091, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
