Charles Nicholas Monsarrat (July 2, 1871 – March 1, 1940) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

-born bridge designer. He was born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and was educated by private tuition and at the High School of Montreal. Monsarrat joined the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

as a structural draftsman; in 1903, he became chief engineer of bridges. He became a member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers (later the Engineering Institute of Canada) in 1898 and was vice-president in 1917. He married Mary Alice Foster in 1898. Monsarrat served with the Royal Highlanders in France during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, becoming lieutenant-colonel in 1915. From 1911 to 1918, he was president and chief engineer of the Quebec Bridge Board. Monsarrat also served as a consulting engineer to the Canadian government and to the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

. In 1921, he became a partner in a consulting company with

Philip Louis Pratley Philip Louis Pratley (December 4, 1884 – August 1, 1958) was an English-born Canadian bridge designer. He was born in Liverpool and received a BSc and BEng from the University of Liverpool. Pratley then apprenticed with Francis Morton & Co. ...

. The company was responsible for the design and supervision of construction for the Jacques Cartier Bridge at Montreal, the

Île d'Orléans Bridge The Île d'Orléans Bridge, known locally as the Pont de l'Île, is a suspension bridge that spans the Saint Lawrence River between the Beauport borough of Quebec City and Île d'Orléans (Orléans Island) in the Canadian province of Quebec. It ...

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

, the

Ambassador Bridge The Ambassador Bridge is a tolled international suspension bridge across the Detroit River that connects Detroit, Michigan, United States, with Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1929, it is the busiest international border crossing in North ...

between

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

and Windsor, Ontario, Windsor, the Lions Gate Bridge at Vancouver and the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge at Halifax, Nova Scotia. He died in Montreal at the age of 68.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monsarrat, Charles N 1871 births 1940 deaths Canadian civil engineers High School of Montreal alumni People from Montreal