William Milnor Roberts (February 12, 1810 – July 14, 1881) was an American civil engineer. Roberts was one of the most prolific and prominent civil engineers of his generation in the United States. As a young civil engineer, he was involved in the construction of the Eads Bridge, held the title of the chief engineer of Northern Pacific Railroad, and was president of the American Society of Civil Engineers scarcely two decades after its founding,

Early life and career

William was born to Thomas Paschall and Mary Louise (Baker) Roberts on February 12, 1810, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. William was educated in private schools in Philadelphia. He spent two terms taking a special course in mathematics taught by Joseph Roberts, a prominent mathematician, and a course in architectural drawing under John Haviland at the Franklin Institute. William pursued a career in civil engineering on the advice of Samuel Mifflin, the then president of the Union Canal Company of Pennsylvania and friend of his father. He took up employment at the Union Canal of Pennsylvania in the spring of 1825. At the age of 18, William was promoted to the head of the team in charge of the most difficult section of the Lehigh Canal. After beginning his career in engineering, William continued to further his education, focusing on mathematics.

Career

Roberts served as an assistant in survey and construction at the Lehigh Canal, between Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia. From 1831 to 1834 he served as the senior assistant engineer for the proposed Allegheny Portage Railroad, and general manager from 1834 to 1835. He was the chief engineer in Lancaster and Harrisburg in 1837. He was in charge of construction of a two-level lattice-truss bridge across the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg. From 1834 to 1840 Roberts was in charge of extensions of the Pennsylvania Canals; Bellefontaine and Indiana, Allegheny Valley, Atlantic and Mississippi, and Iron Mountain. He was chairman of the Commission to Consider Reconstruction of Allegheny Portage and constructed railroads in the Middle West from 1855 to 1857. In 1865 Roberts was contracted to build the Don Pedro Segundo in Brazil. In 1866, William proposed improvements to the Mississippi River at Keokuk, Iowa. Roberts served as associate chief engineer for the construction of the Eads Bridge across Mississippi River at St. Louis in 1868. In 1869 to 1879 he served as engineer-in-chief of the Northern Pacific Railroad (NP). In 1878 and 1879, William led the survey party that explored the cascade mountain passes for route location. Roberts was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 1876. From 1879 to 1881 Roberts served as a member of the Mississippi River Jetty Commission and chief engineer, all public works in Brazil. From 1873 to 1878 Roberts served as vice-president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In 1878 he served as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Family

William married Annie Gibson in June 1837. They had six children together, including his son Milnor Roberts. Anne died in 1857. William later married Adeline de Beelen-Bertholff in November 1868 and the couple had four children.

Death

William died of typhoid fever in Soledad, Brazil, on July 14, 1881.

Legacy

Milnor, North Dakota, was named after several individuals associated with the NP railroad, William Edward Milnor, the first telegrapher at the NP's Milnor Station, and Roberts, the chief engineer of the railroad. In 1923, the engineering building on the Montana State College campus was named in his honor. Roberts' papers are now held by the Montana State University Archives and Special Collections.

Works