Chief Engineer: Washington Roebling, The Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge

by Erica Wagner

The first full biography of a crucial figure in the American story--Washington Roebling, builder of the Brooklyn Bridge.

"I know that nothing can be done perfectly at the first trial; I also know that each day brings its little quota of experiences, which with honest intentions, will lead to perfection after a while." --Washington Roebling

His father conceived of the Brooklyn Bridge, but after John Roebling's sudden death, Washington Roebling built what has become one of American's most iconic structures--as much a part of New York as the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. Yet, as recognizable as the bridge is, its builder is too often forgotten--and his life is of interest far beyond his chosen field. It is the story of immigrants, of the frontier, of the greatest crisis in American history, and of the making of the modern world.

Forty years after the publication of The Great Bridge , David McCullough's classic chronicle of how the East River was spanned, Erica Wagner has written a fascinating biography of one of America's most distinguished engineers, a man whose long life was a model of courage in the face of extraordinary adversity. Chief Engineer is enriched by Roebling's own eloquent voice, unveiled in his recently-discovered memoir that was previously thought lost to history.

The memoir reveals that his father, John-a renowned engineer who made his life in America after humble beginnings in Germany-was a tyrannical presence in Washington's life, so his own adoption of that career was hard won. A young man when the Civil War broke out, Washington joined the Union Army, building bridges that carried soldiers across rivers and seeing action in many pivotal battles, from Antietam to Gettysburg-aspects of his life never before fully brought to light. Safely returned, he married the remarkable Emily Warren Roebling, who would play a crucial role in the construction of the unprecedented Brooklyn Bridge. It would be Washington Roebling's grandest achievement-but by no means the only one.

Elegantly written with a compelling narrative sweep, Chief Engineer will introduce Washington Roebling and his era to a new generation of readers.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Engineering, Science, New York, Biography Memoir

384 pages, Hardcover

Published June 27, 2017

About the author

Erica Wagner is an American author and critic living in London. She is former literary editor of The Times.

She is the author of several books, including a collection of short stories, Gravity, and Ariel’s Gift: Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath and the Story of Birthday Letters, and the novel Seizure.

Her husband, Francis Gilbert, is author of I’m a Teacher, Get Me Out of Here!. She also reviews regularly for The New York Times. A judge for the Man Booker Prize in 2002 and 2014.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book about one of the men responsible for raising Cincinnati’s Roebling bridge, completing an engineering degree at Rensselaer when that was even less fun (particularly when one is underfed) and building the Brooklyn Bridge to his father’s general design (and his own detail work and problem-solving) after the patriarch’s preferred water cure failed to improve his fatal injury.

Washington himself suffered decompression sickness while on site sinking caissons, leaving his rather brilliant wife Emily to supervise and manage the bridge’s construction while he was so ill.

Highly recommended for fellow history of tech nerds.

[Beckylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chief Engineer is the biography of Washington Roebling, chief engineer of the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge. This book follows his life, starting with his fathers immigration to the United States, past his death, looking at his lasting legacy. Washington Roebling was abused, survived a gruesome war, and experienced a tragic lack of individuality and appreciation during his life. Though dry at times, Chief Engineer paints a vivid and fascinating picture of the life of one of the most important engineers (and engineering families) of the 19th century.

[Nip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meticulously researched, Erica Wagner’s biography is intended to restore Washington A. Roebling to his place as the trailblazing Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge. Written with personal passion and an eye to the family’s challenges — over generations — it is an eye-opener. Ironically, Washington’s father John will always be most closely identified with the iconic bridge.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very impressed by this biography of a person I had never previously heard of. It was well researched and told a good story without veering into some of the more obvious traps that comes with writing popular non-fiction. I think a lot of people will want to read this book to hear about Roebling's work on the Brooklyn Bridge, but honestly I wish there was more information in there about the wire rope company. That kind of thing is fascinating to me.

I also get the impression was very empathetic in her treatment of Washington Roebling's life. It seems that Roebling's relationship with his father was complicated starting in his childhood and well after both his father's and even his own death. On the one hand, J.A. Roebling seems to have been abusive and quite hard to live with, but on the other hand he was by all accounts brilliant and put Washington in an excellent position to showcase his own brilliance. And then of course there is the age-old story of the young man who cannot get out of his father's shadow, which in this case was made even more complicated by the fact that before his premature death, John Roebling was involved with the planning of the Brooklyn Bridge, which became the crowning achievement of Washington's life.

I don't think you'll learn too much about wire rope or architecture from this book, but if you like compelling biographies, I recommend this book.

4 of 5 stars

[Vic Lauterbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fine biography captures the measure a remarkable man. His life and this book are both far more than the story of a bridge. Overshadowed by his immigrant father John A., who is also captured here, Washington's life is a study in the transformation of American. The agrarian society found by John A. when he settled in western Pennsylvania was powered by wind and water. The nation Washington knew on the eve of his death in 1926 was powered by coal and oil, electrified, interconnected by steel rails and changing ever faster as the automobile and the airplane came of age. Ms. Wagner does an admirable job of portraying Washington as his was in the context of his time and how he was shaped by his relationships with his driven and brutal father, his brothers and Emily Warren who was his life partner for 38 years. She is also well portrayed. Highly recommended.

[Luisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book on goodreads in exchange for an honest review. This is a very meaty biography and it took a while to get through it. Prior to reading this I knew nothing about who build it and how it was built. I have seen it in person and its a sight to behold especially when you realize how old it is and the fact its still in use today, reinforces the idea they don't build them like they used to. It was a good book I think an one interested in the history of New Yorks Landmarks would enjoy this, along with any one that has an interest in manufacturing and engneering in the 19th century and early 20th century would enjoy this book.

[Adam Boltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly interesting to me based on our shared home town, Saxonburg. John A. Roebling founded the town and his sons, including Washington Roebling, were born there. It was very cool to hear all the connections -- certainly, I was aware of the connection to the Brooklyn Bridge and even the Golden Gate Bridge (via the Roebling's Sons Company), but I hadn't been aware of their contributions to WWI mining nets, the elevator boom (including the Empire State Building), the Wright brothers' plane, and more. I listened to the audiobook which was a bit extra dry -- it took a little effort to complete all 14h.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderfully written book will bring joy to history readers! Whether you love New York City or history is general, this biography of Washington Roebling is for you. The author gives a good overview of father and son so you get an idea of their personalities. Washington's experience in the Civil War was interesting to me because his descriptions were those of a soldier, not a leader.

Of course, the Brooklyn Bridge is the star of the book, but the surprise was the active role Roebling's wife played in completing the project.

Read it.

[Ian McAuley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a well-written, insightful and engaging book. As someone who can easily start skipping pages and even abandon a book if it doesn't continually engage, this held me throughout - which is a tribute given I have no particular interest in engineering, this period of American history, or bridges! And it's a long book too - over 300 pages. But this book made me interested in all those topics. It's a biography, yes, and an excellent one (of someone I'd never heard of), but crucially it's a story about human achievement, about the people who drive and deliver exceptional achievements.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and incredibly well-researched biography of a man whose contributions to the "Eighth Wonder of the World" have been unappreciated. As someone who has done extensive research in the archives myself for my own program "Bridge Builder in Petticoats" which examines the role his wife Emily Roebling played in the construction, I was particularly interested in the author's meticulous research. Kudos.

[Esther Somorai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book just kept drawing me to it. So I decided to enter to win a copy, so glad I did.

It's about so many things in Washington Roebling's life, including the relationship between him and his father. I have been greatly moved by the reading of this real life story.

Thanks to Goodreads, first-reads for this chance to win an ARC from Erica Wagner and Bloomsbury USA.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about these inspiring engineers who perservered through many problems and hardships. There was just no 'give up' in them. Although this book says it is about W Roebling, I founf it to be as much about the father, John Roebling. A good read especially after a quick Sophie Kinsella preceding it, ;)

[Kent Archie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my tastes, there was too much about the U.S. Civil War and family issues. But on the whole, I liked the book and learned more about an impressive project.
After I finished, I wanted to know more about the Roebling wire company.
Their products and skills were involved in The Golden Gate bridge, the Wright brothers flyer, elevators
and other things.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Since reading The Great Bridge and actually getting to walk across it, I have been fascinated by the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a well written book about the man executed the completion of the amazing project. Washington Roebling overcame much to live a long, productive life

[Joelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very dense biography. Some really great info, interesting observations and a lot of information. Like i said dense. Still worth the read.

[Jim Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book must be read after reading McCullough`s Great Bridge. Great life and history not covered before.

[Tom Deboissiere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting view of his family and life as well as the details of building the Brooklyn Bridge

[Debra B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and inspiring ... I wish the narration had been better.

[Levi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very little of this book is actually about the Brooklyn Bridge. Disappointing.

[Nixie]

Short version: huh.
Long version with TL;DR, quotes, and whatnot: https://darkscience.eu/posts/chief-en...

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent biography of a truly incredible man who is very under-appreciated in the pantheon of great American heroes.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I am neither a New Yorker nor a civil engineer. If you are, you will REALLY enjoy this book. Wagner’s Civil Engineer is a thoroughly-researched and compellingly presented book about someone who conventionally doesn’t meet the standards for such a dedicated biography effort. But what Colonel Roebling lacks in star power he makes up in, per Wagner’s representation, endearing humanity, humble reflectiveness, and perseverance. Washington Roebling’s is a sympathetic, human story from a notable age of capitalist industrial progress. Perhaps in all ages these should be our heroes.

Wagner’s most important job is to cement Colonel Roebling as the captain of the Brooklyn Bridge’s construction. Not his father, entrepreneur John Roebling, with whom Washington’s accomplishments were frequently confused in his own lifetime. Not his wife, Emily Roebling, whom author Tracey Enerson Wood casts in her historical fiction (as do many other ostensibly nonfiction writers!) as the underappreciated technical genius driving the project. Wagner takes special care to cite Emily’s own letters as proof that Emily’s role during bridge construction was secretarial, and that Emily’s independent professional interests were in business, law, and languages, not engineering.

[Chris Wray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Washington Roebling is chiefly remembered as the man who built the Brooklyn Bridge, and so it is no surprise that the bridge forms such a huge part of this biography. Indeed, the bridge forms something of a backdrop to the entire book as his father's whole career, and Washington's to that point, were (excuse the pun) building towards the design and construction of this epic feat of 19th-century engineering. The rest of Washington's long life was spent in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, and it remains his crowning achievement.

The single word I would use to sum up Washington Roebling is relentless, and this, combined with his humility, makes him a genuinely likeable and interesting character. Erica Wagner has done a really good job of capturing his humanity, as he applies his vast intelligence and problem-solving skills to one of the largest building projects the world had seen up to that time. Even when bed-bound by the aftereffects of decompression sickness, over budget and under severe pressure from his ruling board of trustees, Washington remained steadfast in his determination to see the bridge built. He is rightly seen as a pioneer of engineering, at a time when the modern distinctions of consultant and contractor didn't exist, and a single man could be in sole charge of such a vast and complex project. Even more remarkably, the engineering principles he applied to build a suspension bridge of the size and scale of the Brooklyn Bridge weren't fully understood at the time, and indeed would not be for another century.

Washington also appears to have been a loving and devoted husband and father, which is in stark contrast to the other towering presence in his life, his father. John Roebling comes across as an awful man, an absolute tyrant and bully in his home, and who behaved towards his wife and children in a way that can only be described as physically and emotionally abusive. This early treatment is seen to influence and scar Washington throughout his life, and somewhat unusually for the time, he acknowledged this behaviour as wrong and wrote about it quite frankly in the biography he wrote of his father.

In writing this biography of his father, Washington also writes much about himself, which lends colour to the period from his birth up until the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge commenced. The building project itself is also well documented in contemporary sources, but after this, I felt that the biography really ran out of steam. This is quite disappointing as Washington and his brothers were wealthy and powerful businessmen living through a fascinating time in American history, but this entire period is skimmed over at best. The character of Washington himself becomes more enigmatic after the Brooklyn Bridge, and what we do see is also less likeable as this fabulously wealthy and intelligent man bickers with his family and complains about his lack of means. Still, Erica Wagner has made the most of the available material. She is obviously fascinated by this man, and her excellent writing does a fine job of passing that fascination on to the reader. In the end, however, Washington Roebling's finest achievement outlasts and overshadows him entirely, which is a timely reminder for us all.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

From living with his draconian father and long-suffering mother to raising his own kids, fighting in the Civil War, and raising the Brooklyn Bridge, this is a great follow-up to McCullough's book 0n the bridge. Not strictly chronological, but still easy enough to follow. The writing is clear and straightforward.

Based on unused material up to this point, there are good expositions of Washington’s development as an engineer and his early efforts. Washington was a perfectionist who knew what he was doing. It covers his health issues as a result of the bends from going up and down caissons dug out for bridge foundations. It also goes into his relationship with his wife and the inestimable support she provided.

Kind of tragic what happens during the closing years of his life due to his wife’s death and how he still keeps living his life the best way he can. I highly recommend it for anyone to get more informed on this transitional an unique figure in American industrial and engineering growth.