Frederick Eugene Turneaure (July 30, 1866 – March 31, 1951) was an American civil engineer and academic from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. A graduate of

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

, Turneaure briefly worked in the private sector before joining

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

as an instructor. In 1892, he was named a professor at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...

. Turneaure was Dean of Engineering there from 1902 to 1937.

Early life

Frederick Eugene Turneaure was born near

Freeport, Illinois Freeport is the county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is known for hosting the second Linc ...

, on July 30, 1866. He was raised on the family farm and attended public schools, studying algebra and geometry in his free time. Turneaure attended Freeport High School intermittently from 1882 to 1884, then taught a school. After receiving a scholarship for proficiency in mathematics, he matriculated at

, where he studied

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

Career

Turneaure graduated in 1889, and took a job with the

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad built in the Northeastern United States to haul anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Pennsylvania. The railroad was authorized on April 21, 1846 for freight and transportation of passengers, goods, ...

. After a year, he joined the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, where he worked until 1890.

hired Turneaure as an instructor. With Dean John Butler Johnson and Edge Moor Bridge Company engineer C. W. Bryan, Turneaure co-authored ''The Theory and Practice of Modern Framed Structures'', later published in 1902. In 1892, Turneaure was offered a position as professor of the Department of Bridge and Sanitary Engineering at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

. He published ''Public Water-Supplies: Requirements, Resources, and the Construction of Works'' with

Harry Luman Russell Harry Luman Russell (March 12, 1866 – April 11, 1954) was an American bacteriologist and educator. Biography Rusell was born in Poynette, Wisconsin, the son of country doctor E. Fred Russell and his wife Lucinda E. Waldron, he attended Poynet ...

in 1901. From 1900 to 1901, Turneaure also worked as the City Engineer of

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, designing a septic sewage disposal plant and a pump system for artesian wells. Turneaure was then elected as an alderman of the 5th ward on the Madison Common Council. He was named Dean of Engineering in 1902. From 1911 to 1929, he was a member of the state highway commission. He retired in 1937 and was named Dean Emeritus.

Personal life

Turneaure married Mary D. Stuart, who he met at Cornell, in 1891. She frequently assisted Frederick with his projects. They had one son, Stewart. Turneaure died in Madison on March 31, 1951.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turneaure, Frederick E. 1866 births 1951 deaths People from Madison, Wisconsin People from Freeport, Illinois Wisconsin city council members American civil engineers Cornell University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Washington University in St. Louis faculty