Henry Ramsay (NY engineer)
Encyclopedia
Henry Ramsay was an American civil engineer
and for a short time New York State Engineer and Surveyor
in 1853.
in 1826. Afterwards he taught school in Albany, New York
. Later he became a draftsman
, map maker and civil engineer
. In 1831, he married Isabelle Westervelt, and they had nine children.
In 1842, he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad between Albany and Schenectady, New York
. He laid out the course of the New York Central Railroad
at Schenectady, to avoid the inclined plane at that terminus. Subsequently he became Assistant Engineer on the Erie Canal
enlargement. In 1849, he removed to Schenectady, and was for several terms City Surveyor.
On December 10, 1853, he was appointed New York State Engineer and Surveyor
, to fill the unexpired term after the resignation of William J. McAlpine
and the declination of Wheeler H. Bristol
to take office.
He endowed the Henry Ramsay Scholarship at The Albany Academy.
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...
and for a short time New York State Engineer and Surveyor
New York State Engineer and Surveyor
The New York State Engineer and Surveyor was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1848 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the Department of Public Works which was...
in 1853.
Life
He was educated at the Lancaster School in Albany, and graduated from The Albany AcademyThe Albany Academy
The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York, USA, enrolling students from Preschool to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer and the city council of Albany...
in 1826. Afterwards he taught school in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. Later he became a draftsman
Technical drawing
Technical drawing, also known as drafting or draughting, is the act and discipline of composing plans that visually communicate how something functions or has to be constructed.Drafting is the language of industry....
, map maker and 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...
. In 1831, he married Isabelle Westervelt, and they had nine children.
In 1842, he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad between Albany and Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
. He laid out the course of the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
at Schenectady, to avoid the inclined plane at that terminus. Subsequently he became Assistant Engineer on the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
enlargement. In 1849, he removed to Schenectady, and was for several terms City Surveyor.
On December 10, 1853, he was appointed New York State Engineer and Surveyor
New York State Engineer and Surveyor
The New York State Engineer and Surveyor was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1848 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the Department of Public Works which was...
, to fill the unexpired term after the resignation of William J. McAlpine
William J. McAlpine
William Jarvis McAlpine was an American civil engineer and politician from New York.-Life:...
and the declination of Wheeler H. Bristol
Wheeler H. Bristol
Wheeler H. Bristol was an American engineer, railroad executive and politician.-Life:...
to take office.
He endowed the Henry Ramsay Scholarship at The Albany Academy.
Sources
- http://www.history.rochester.edu/canal/bib/whitford/old1906/vol2/chapter3.htm Bios of Canal Engineers, at Rochester history
- Google Book The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 37f; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
- http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940DEFDE1030E533A25750C1A9619C94679FD7CF Obit in NYT on July 13, 1886