William C. Edes (January 14, 1856- May 25, 1922) was a U.S.

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

. He was the chairman and former chief engineer of the Alaskan Engineering Commission.

Early years

Born in 1856 at

Bolton, Massachusetts Bolton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Bolton is in eastern Massachusetts, located 25 miles west-northwest of downtown Boston. The population was 5,665 at the 2020 census. History The town of Bolton was incorpora ...

, he graduated from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 1875 with a degree in

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, sewage ...

Career

From 1878 to 1882, he was with the Southern railway on location of line through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. From 1882 to 1886, he was in private practice, engaged in general engineering work in Boston and vicinity. He re-entered railway service in 1886, serving as assistant engineer from April, 1886, to February, 1887; he was in charge of constructing a portion of the Oregon & California railroad. He became chief assistance engineer of the San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley in 1896, and in 1901 re-entered the service of the

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

as assistant engineer, where he was engaged in locating new lines and supervising the reconstruction of other lines, including the Central Pacific from

Rocklin, California Rocklin is a city in Placer County, California, about from Sacramento, and about northeast of Roseville in the Sacramento metropolitan area. Besides Roseville, it shares borders with Granite Bay, Loomis and Lincoln. As of the 2010 census, Ro ...

, to

Truckee, California Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 16,180, reflecting an increase of 2,316 from the 13,864 counted in the 2000 Census and having the 316th highe ...

until 1905, when he became district engineer maintenance of way, with headquarters at San Francisco. Edes resigned as district engineer of the Southern Pacific Co. in January 1907 to become chief engineer of the

Northwestern Pacific Railroad The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a regional shortline railroad utilizing a stretch of the 271 mile mainline between Schellville and Windsor with freight and Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter trains. Formerly, it was a regi ...

. In 1914, he was appointed chairman of the Alaskan Engineering Commission by U.S. President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

. In 1919, he assumed the title of consulting engineer, a position he relinquished in March, 1920, to engage in private consulting work. He died on a train near

Merced, California Merced (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up ...

in 1922. Edes Lake in Alaska was named in his honor.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edes, William C. 1856 births 1922 deaths People from Bolton, Massachusetts MIT School of Engineering alumni Southern Pacific Railroad people American railway civil engineers