John Benjamin Henck
Encyclopedia
John Benjamin Henck was a classical scholar
and civil engineer
.
, valedictorian, in 1840. He was principal of Hopkins Classical School
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, 1840-1841, professor of Latin and Greek at the University of Maryland
, 1841-1842, and professor of Latin and Greek at Germantown Academy
, Philadelphia, where he remained until 1847.
The need to provide for a growing family prompted him to turn his attention to the more lucrative field of civil engineering. He began by studying in the office of Felton and Parker, Charlestown, Massachusetts
. From 1848 to 1849, he had charge of the building of a railroad from Charlestown, New Hampshire
, to Windsor, Vermont
. In 1849 he was in charge of the construction of the Fitchburg Railroad near Boston, after which he established an office in Boston with William S. Whitwell (Whitwell & Henck) and was frequently called upon as an expert to decide on the work of others.
He was appointed engineer to the Massachusetts
State Commission on Public Lands, and continued in that position, with an interruption of two or three years, until 1881. (In 1877, the State Commission on Public Lands was abolished and its tasks became those of the Massachusetts Board of Land Commissioners.) He had charge of the laying out and filling up of new lands of the state of Massachusetts and Boston Water Power Company, now known as the Back Bay district in Boston. He was probably the engineer with the most responsibility for that project.
When the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
began offering classes in 1865, he was the head of the department of civil engineering, a post he retained until 1881. But meanwhile he continued his oversight of the laying out of streets and lots in the Back Bay. He was engineer for the Metropolitan and other street railroads in Boston and vicinity, 1856-1861.
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
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...
.
Biography
Henck was the son of George Daniel and Caroline (Spiess) Henck. He was prepared for college mainly by home study, and graduated from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, valedictorian, in 1840. He was principal of Hopkins Classical School
Hopkins Classical School
The Hopkins Classical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a secondary school located near the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Dana Street. It received financial support from the bequest of Edward Hopkins. Staff included John Benjamin Henck. Students included George Martin Lane, William C....
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, 1840-1841, professor of Latin and Greek at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
, 1841-1842, and professor of Latin and Greek at Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy is America's oldest nonsectarian day school, founded on December 6, 1759 . Germantown Academy is now a K-12 school in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, having moved from its original Germantown campus in 1965...
, Philadelphia, where he remained until 1847.
The need to provide for a growing family prompted him to turn his attention to the more lucrative field of civil engineering. He began by studying in the office of Felton and Parker, Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
. From 1848 to 1849, he had charge of the building of a railroad from Charlestown, New Hampshire
Charlestown, New Hampshire
Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,114 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Hubbard State Forest and the headquarters of the Student Conservation Association....
, to Windsor, Vermont
Windsor, Vermont
Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,756 at the 2000 census.-History:One of the New Hampshire grants, Windsor was chartered as a town on July 6, 1761 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth. It was first settled in August 1764 by Captain Steele Smith and...
. In 1849 he was in charge of the construction of the Fitchburg Railroad near Boston, after which he established an office in Boston with William S. Whitwell (Whitwell & Henck) and was frequently called upon as an expert to decide on the work of others.
He was appointed engineer to the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
State Commission on Public Lands, and continued in that position, with an interruption of two or three years, until 1881. (In 1877, the State Commission on Public Lands was abolished and its tasks became those of the Massachusetts Board of Land Commissioners.) He had charge of the laying out and filling up of new lands of the state of Massachusetts and Boston Water Power Company, now known as the Back Bay district in Boston. He was probably the engineer with the most responsibility for that project.
When the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
began offering classes in 1865, he was the head of the department of civil engineering, a post he retained until 1881. But meanwhile he continued his oversight of the laying out of streets and lots in the Back Bay. He was engineer for the Metropolitan and other street railroads in Boston and vicinity, 1856-1861.
Works
He wrote numerous poems, mathematical papers, and a Field-Book for Railroad Engineers (1854; revised and enlarged, 1881 and 1896).External links
- Field-book for railroad engineers at Google Books