Martin Murphy (civil engineer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Murphy
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Born | Coolycarney, Wexford, Ireland
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11 November 1832
Died | 9 January 1926 St. Catharines, Ontario
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(aged 93)
Occupation | Civil engineer |
Martin Murphy (born November 11, 1832 – died January 9, 1926) was an important civil engineer. He was born in Ireland and later became a Canadian citizen. He helped build many big projects, especially railways.
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Martin Murphy: A Master Builder
Martin Murphy was a talented engineer who made a big difference in Canada. He was known for his work on railways and bridges. His projects helped connect different parts of the country.
Early Life and Training
Martin Murphy was born in a place called Coolycarney in Ireland. This was in County Wexford. He went to public schools and also studied privately. In 1852, when he was about 20 years old, he started his engineering career. His first job was working on the Midland Great Western Railway in Ireland.
From 1862 to 1868, he worked as a main engineer for another railway. This was the Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford Railway. He gained a lot of experience during these years.
Moving to Canada and Building Railways
In 1868, Martin Murphy moved to Canada. He first worked for a year as an engineer for the city of Halifax. This city is in Nova Scotia.
After that, he became the chief engineer for new railway plans in Nova Scotia. This was between 1870 and 1871. He then helped build bridges for the Intercolonial Railway. This work took place from 1871 to 1874.
For 30 years, from 1875 to 1905, he was the main engineer for Nova Scotia. He was in charge of many important building projects. In 1906, he got a new job. He became a government engineer for the National Transcontinental Railway. This railway was a huge project that crossed Canada.
A Leader in Engineering
Martin Murphy was also a leader among other engineers. He was the president of the Nova Scotia Institute of Science from 1882 to 1883. Later, in 1902, he became the president of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers. This shows how much other engineers respected him.
His ideas about building bridges were very well-known. He even shared his work at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Experts there thought his bridge designs were excellent.
Martin Murphy passed away in 1926 in St. Catharines, Ontario. He left behind a legacy of important engineering work.