Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

STEPHENSON, ROBERT (1803-1859)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V25, Page 889 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

STEPHENSON, See also:ROBERT (1803-1859) , See also:English engineer, only son of See also:George Stephenson (q.v.), was borr at Willington See also:Quay on the 16th of See also:October 1803. His See also:father, remembering his own See also:early difficulties, bestowed See also:special care on his son's See also:education, and sent him in his twelfth See also:year to Mr See also:Bruce's school in See also:Percy See also:Street, See also:Newcastle, where he remained about four years. In 1819 he was apprenticed to See also:Nicholas See also:Wood, a See also:coal-viewer at Killingworth, after which he was sent in 1822 to attend the See also:science classes at the university of See also:Edinburgh. On his return he assisted his father in See also:surveying the See also:Stockton & See also:Darlington and See also:Liverpool & See also:Manchester lines, but in 1824 he accepted an engagement in See also:South See also:America to take See also:charge of the See also:engineering operations of the Colombian See also:Mining Association of See also:London. On See also:account of the difficulties of the situation he resigned it in 1827, and returned to See also:England via New See also:York in See also:company with See also:Richard Trevithick, whom he had met in a penniless See also:condition at See also:Cartagena. He then undertook the management of his father's factory in Newcastle, and greatly aided him in the improvement of the locomotives. His practice was not confined to his own See also:country, but extended also to See also:Sweden, See also:Denmark, See also:Belgium, See also:Switzerland, See also:Piedmont and See also:Egypt. In this connexion his most remarkable achievements were his railway See also:bridges, especially those of the tubular girder type. Among his more notable examples are the Royal Border See also:bridge at See also:Berwick-on-See also:Tweed, the High Level bridge at Newcastle-on-See also:Tyne, the Britannia tubular bridge over the Menai Straits, the See also:Conway tubular bridge, and the See also:Victoria tubular bridge over the St See also:Lawrence at See also:Montreal. In 1847 he entered the See also:House of See also:Commons as member for See also:Whitby, retaining the seat till the end of his See also:life. In 18J5 he was elected See also:president of the Institution of See also:Civil See also:Engineers, of which he became a member in 1830. He died in London on the 12th of October 1859, and was buried in See also:Westminster See also:Abbey.

See The See also:

Story of the Life of George Stephenson, including a Memoir of his Son Robert Stephenson, by See also:Samuel See also:Smiles (1857 ; new ed., 1873) ; Jeaffreson, Life of Robert Stephenson (2 vols., 1864); and Smiles's Lives of See also:British Engineers, vol. iii.

End of Article: STEPHENSON, ROBERT (1803-1859)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
STEPHENSON, O 		[next]
STEPNEY

Site © 2006 - Net Industries