Maurice Fitzmaurice facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maurice Fitzmaurice
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 11 May 1861 Clogher, County Kerry, Ireland
|
| Died | 17 November 1924 (aged 63) |
| Resting place | Brookwood Cemetery |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | Trinity College, Dublin |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse(s) | Ida Dickinson |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Civil |
| Institutions | Institution of Civil Engineers (president), American Society of Civil Engineers (hon), Royal Society (fellow), Society of Engineers (hon fellow), |
| Projects | Aswan Dam, Forth Bridge, Sennar Dam, |
Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice (born May 11, 1861 – died November 17, 1924) was an amazing Irish civil engineer. He learned his skills from a famous engineer named Benjamin Baker. Together, they worked on the huge Forth Railway Bridge in Scotland.
Later, Fitzmaurice traveled to Egypt to help build the Aswan Dam. This was a very important project. For his great work, he received special awards from both the Ottoman and British governments. After this, he became the Chief Engineer for the London County Council. In this role, he was in charge of building important tunnels like the Blackwall, Rotherhithe, and Woolwich tunnels.
In his later career, he became a consultant. This meant he gave expert advice on building docks and harbors around the world. He also advised on the Sennar Dam in Sudan. Because of his incredible achievements, he was chosen to be the president of the Institution of Civil Engineers. This is a very high honor for an engineer.
Contents
Early Life and Engineering Start
Maurice Fitzmaurice was born in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland in 1861. He went to school at The Royal School, Armagh. Then, in 1878, he began studying civil engineering at Trinity College, Dublin. He finished his studies in 1882.
After college, he started working with Benjamin Baker. This was like an apprenticeship, where he learned from an experienced engineer. His first big project was helping to build the south pier and railway parts of the famous Forth Railway Bridge. This work finished in 1888. For the next three years, he worked on a project in Canada called the Chignecto Ship Railway, though it was never fully completed.
Building Tunnels for London
In 1892, Fitzmaurice left Benjamin Baker's team. He joined the London County Council as a resident engineer. His first project there was the Blackwall Tunnel. He worked with another engineer, David Hay, on this project. They even wrote a paper about their work, which won them special awards.
In 1898, the government of Egypt asked him to be the chief engineer for building the Old Aswan Dam. This was a huge project in Egypt. For his excellent work on the dam, he received two important awards. One was from the Ottoman government in 1901. The other was a British award called the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1902.
In 1901, he became the Chief Engineer for the London County Council. He oversaw many important projects for London. These included the Rotherhithe Tunnel, Vauxhall Bridge, and the Woolwich foot tunnel. When he retired from the Council in 1912, he was given a special honor: he became a knight. This is why he is known as Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice.
Later Projects and Expert Advice
After 1912, Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice joined an engineering firm. He became a partner in John Coode's company. In this role, he worked a lot on designing docks and harbors. He helped plan these important structures in many places around the world. These included Australia, Burma, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Kenya, Malaya, Nigeria, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
From 1922, he also advised the government of Sudan on how to irrigate their land using the Blue Nile river. He helped plan the Sennar Dam, which was built after he passed away. During this time, he also volunteered for a special army unit. This unit, called the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, gave engineering advice to the British Armed Forces. He held the rank of lieutenant-colonel in this group. Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice married Ida Dickinson in 1911. He died at his home in London on November 17, 1924.
How Maurice Fitzmaurice Was Recognized
Maurice Fitzmaurice was very involved with the Institution of Civil Engineers. He joined as a student in 1883. He became a full member in 1893. He served on the Institution's Council starting in 1905. Then, for the 1916-1917 year, he was elected as their President. This is a very high honor in the world of civil engineering.
In 1919, he was also chosen as a fellow of the Royal Society. This is a group of very important scientists. He was also an honorary member of other engineering groups. These included the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Royal Engineers Institution. He also received an honorary degree from the University of Birmingham in 1909.
Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice is buried in Brookwood Cemetery.
