Emily Warren Roebling, born in 1843 and died in 1903, was an American engineer who took on substantial responsibility for completing the Brooklyn Bridge after her husband, chief engineer Washington Roebling, was incapacitated by decompression sickness contracted while working in the bridge's underwater caissons. Taught by her husband, she mastered the cable construction and stress-analysis calculations needed for the project, served as the day-to-day liaison between him and the construction site, and managed the project's completion through to the bridge's opening in 1883, reportedly the first person to cross it, riding in a carriage and carrying a rooster as a sign of victory. At the opening ceremony a speaker publicly credited her contribution as representing the capacity of women for the technical education from which they had long been excluded.
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1. Emily Warren Roebling (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia short description, page "Emily Warren Roebling"
American engineer (1843-1903)
lead sentence dates, Wikipedia article "Emily Warren Roebling" (birth date)
September 23, 1843, February 28, 1903
lead sentence dates, Wikipedia article "Emily Warren Roebling" (birth year)
September 23, 1843, February 28, 1903
lead sentence dates, Wikipedia article "Emily Warren Roebling" (death date)
September 23, 1843, February 28, 1903
lead sentence dates, Wikipedia article "Emily Warren Roebling" (death year)
September 23, 1843, February 28, 1903
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
What was Emily Warren Roebling's role in building the Brooklyn Bridge?
She managed the bridge's completion after her husband was incapacitated, through its opening in 1883.
After her husband, chief engineer Washington Roebling, was incapacitated by decompression sickness contracted in the bridge's underwater caissons, Emily Warren Roebling took on substantial responsibility for completing the Brooklyn Bridge. Taught by her husband, she mastered the cable construction and stress-analysis calculations the project needed, acted as the day-to-day liaison between him and the construction site, and managed the work through to the bridge's opening in 1883.
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