American Society of Civil Engineers

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a tax-exempt professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession, and it is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. Earlier attempts to organize American civil engineers, including a proposed Institution of American Civil Engineers in 1839, failed. The society was founded on 5 November 1852 in New York as the American Society of Civil Engineers and Architects, with James Laurie as its first president, suspended its activity during the Civil War, and was revived in 1867 and renamed in 1868. It was chartered and incorporated in New York state in 1877. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, it has members in many countries and works to advance the science and profession of civil engineering, including through its publications and its elected presidents, who have included Albert Fink and Henry Flad.