Benjamin Blyth II
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Hall Blyth II FRSE (25 May 1849 – 13 May 1917) was a Scottish
civil engineer
.
Blyth, who was born in St Cuthbert's Parish, Edinburgh
, was the eldest of the nine children of the railway engineer Benjamin Blyth
. He studied at Merchiston Castle School
between 1860 and 1864 before studying for a Master of Arts
degree from Edinburgh University.
After the death of both parents – Benjamin Blyth
in 1866 and Mary Dudgeon Wright in 1868 – Blyth and his siblings were brought up by their mother's sister, Elizabeth Scotland Wright.
Following his father's death Blyth entered the family engineering consultancy and became a partner five years later. Blyth served as a consultant to the North British Railway
and the Great North of Scotland Railway
and served in an advisory capacity to the British Army
with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps. In 1872 he married Millicent Taylor with whom he had a son, Benjamin Edward, who died in infancy, and a daughter, Elsie Winifred. He became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers
in 1877, being elected to its council in 1900. He served as vice-president in 1911 and in 1914 became the first practising Scottish engineer to serve as president. On 7 February 1898 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
.
Blyth stood as the Unionist candidate for the East Lothian by-election of 1911. He lost. One of his platforms was opposing the giving of home rule to Ireland.
He was widowed on 12 September 1914 and died in North Berwick
on 13 May 1917, of "spittielioma of tongue". He was survived by his daughter. His nephew, Benjamin Hall Blyth III – the son of his brother Francis Creswick Blyth – who was taken on by Blyth and Blyth in 1909, continued the consultancy after his death.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
.
Blyth, who was born in St Cuthbert's Parish, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, was the eldest of the nine children of the railway engineer Benjamin Blyth
Benjamin Blyth
Benjamin Hall Blyth was a Scottish civil engineer.Blyth was born at St Cuthbert's parish, Edinburgh to Robert Brittain Blyth, an iron merchant, and his wife, Barbara, maiden name Cooper...
. He studied at Merchiston Castle School
Merchiston Castle School
Merchiston Castle School is an independent school for boys in the village of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has about 480 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 8 and 18 as either boarders or day pupils; day pupils make up 35% of the school....
between 1860 and 1864 before studying for a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (Scotland)
A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...
degree from Edinburgh University.
After the death of both parents – Benjamin Blyth
Benjamin Blyth
Benjamin Hall Blyth was a Scottish civil engineer.Blyth was born at St Cuthbert's parish, Edinburgh to Robert Brittain Blyth, an iron merchant, and his wife, Barbara, maiden name Cooper...
in 1866 and Mary Dudgeon Wright in 1868 – Blyth and his siblings were brought up by their mother's sister, Elizabeth Scotland Wright.
Following his father's death Blyth entered the family engineering consultancy and became a partner five years later. Blyth served as a consultant to the North British Railway
North British Railway
The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:...
and the Great North of Scotland Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
The Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
and served in an advisory capacity to the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps. In 1872 he married Millicent Taylor with whom he had a son, Benjamin Edward, who died in infancy, and a daughter, Elsie Winifred. He became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
in 1877, being elected to its council in 1900. He served as vice-president in 1911 and in 1914 became the first practising Scottish engineer to serve as president. On 7 February 1898 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
.
Blyth stood as the Unionist candidate for the East Lothian by-election of 1911. He lost. One of his platforms was opposing the giving of home rule to Ireland.
He was widowed on 12 September 1914 and died in North Berwick
North Berwick
The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...
on 13 May 1917, of "spittielioma of tongue". He was survived by his daughter. His nephew, Benjamin Hall Blyth III – the son of his brother Francis Creswick Blyth – who was taken on by Blyth and Blyth in 1909, continued the consultancy after his death.