Civil engineers are responsible for some of our civilization's more awe-inspiring works of architecture. Not many of us appreciate the genius and care that is behind every one of our structural masterpieces. From calculating stresses on subway tunnels to calculating the safety figures for expansive suspension bridges, we have civil engineers to thank for making our structural masterpieces safe and ensuring that their use will last at least as long as we do. Amongst the structural engineering greats that we have to thank for making civilization efficient is Charles Ellis, mastermind of the Golden Gate Bridge.
When Charles Ellis first went out looking for a job, he found that Greek lecturers just were not in high demand. Since it didn't pay to stay confined to the search, he ended up taking a job at the American Bridge Company in 1902. It was at the American Bridge Company that he was first realized to be a force to be reckoned with in the field of engineering, especially after proving his prowess in calculating difficult engineering equations and resolving other issues utilizing his background in mathematics. His expertise in Calculus was put to the test while calculating the stresses exerted on subway tubes beneath the Hudson River. It was at the American Bridge Company that people quickly recognized his excellence in engineering. Ellis continued to work with the American Bridge Company until 1908, and took coursework in structural engineering.
In 1908 Ellis joined the faculty of the University of Michigan, where he was assigned the role of Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering. He remained at the University of Michigan until 1912, after which he spent the following two years working as a design engineer for the Dominion Bridge Company. One must realize that for a man who was a mathematician by profession, excelling in the field of structural engineering is nothing short of outstanding. Ellis continued to gather expertise in the field of bridge engineering and design while at the Dominion Bridge Company. It was through the progressive development of the skills in his field that he was able to attain the expertise that he would later use to tirelessly engineer one of civil engineering's greatest masterpieces, the Golden Gate Bridge.
Even though Ellis worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of the bridge's design, Strauss did not feel all of Ellis' hard work was necessary. Once voters approved a bond issue that provided funding for the Golden Gate Bridge, Strauss ordered him to take a vacation. Three days before his vacation was scheduled to be over, Strauss fired Ellis.
The construction of the civil engineering marvel that is the Golden Gate Bridge began in 1933 and was completed in 1937. Ellis was distraught over the disengagement from what was effectively his life's work. When the bridge was completed according to Ellis' design in 1937, it was heralded as a beautiful monument and symbol of America. Even though the design was Ellis', he was not even mentioned on the plaque honoring Strauss' team of engineers and directors involved in construction of the bridge. Even the materials which included Ellis' own drawings and calculations were wiped clean of Ellis' name. Over 50 years passed before anyone ever mentioned Ellis' name in association with the development and design of what many civil engineers consider one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
After being removed from his position at Strauss' company, Ellis did some consulting work in Chicago for a couple of years until he was hired for a position as a lecturer at Purdue University in the Faculty of Engineering.
After his tireless struggle and devotion to civil engineering, and masterminding one of civil engineering’s greatest accomplishments, Charles Ellis died on August 22, 1949. He was never properly acknowledged for his tremendous donation to the world of bridge design and structural and civil engineering, but his books live on as a testament to his tremendous engineering genius.
