Richard Erwin Dougherty (February 3, 1880 – September 9, 1961) was an American civil engineer. He was vice president of

New York Central System The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

and played a role in

White House Reconstruction The White House Reconstruction, also known as the Truman Reconstruction, was a comprehensive dismantling and rebuilding of the interior of the White House from 1949 to 1952. A century and a half of wartime destruction and rebuilding, hurried reno ...

. He was president of the

American Society of Civil Engineers The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a tax-exempt professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, it is the oldest national engineering soci ...

in 1948.

Biography

Dougherty was born on February 3, 1880, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1901 with a degree in civil engineering. Dougherty briefly taught engineering at Columbia before joining the

in 1902. He served in a number of subordinate positions before becoming assistant engineer in 1904, and resident engineer the following year. He later rose through the ranks as district engineer, design engineer, assistant to the vice president and president, while also advising the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...

on port development. He became vice president of the railroad company in 1930. He worked on railroad as well as hydraulic projects. Among them were the rehabilitation of Manhattan's West Side to allow for the construction of war plants and later, the construction of

West Side Highway The Joe DiMaggio Highway, commonly called the West Side Highway and formerly the Miller Highway, is a mostly surface section of New York State Route 9A (NY 9A), running from 72nd Street (Manhattan), West 72nd Street along the Hudso ...

. Dougherty was director from 1928 to 1930, and became president of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1948, the same year he retired from New York Central System. He remained a consultant to the company and oversaw the construction of the Grand Central Terminus real estate in 1951 and worked as a private consultant, advising companies such as the

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

. Dougherty also served as a member of

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

's Commission on the Renovation of the Executive Mansion. Dougherty died in

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

, on September 9, 1961, at age 81.

References

1880 births 1961 deaths {{DEFAULTSORT:Dougherty, Richard E. American civil engineers Hydraulic engineers Columbia School of Mines alumni Engineers from New York City American railway civil engineers American railroad executives