Charles Alton Ellis (1876–1949) was a professor, structural engineer and mathematician who was chiefly responsible for the structural design of the

Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean in California, United States. The structure links San Francisco—the northern tip of the San Francisco Peni ...

. Because of a dispute with Joseph Strauss, he was not recognized for his work when the bridge opened in 1937. His contributions were ultimately recognized at the bridge with a plaque installed in 2012.

Early life and education

Ellis was born in Parkman, Maine in 1876. He earned a degree in mathematics from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

(where he was a member of

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest Fraternities and sororities, fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active Colony (fraternity or sorority), colonies across No ...

fraternity). In 1922, he received his graduate certificate in

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

(C.E.) from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

Career

Ellis took a post at the

American Bridge Company The American Bridge Company is a heavy/civil construction firm that specializes in building and renovating bridges and other large, complex structures. Founded in 1900, the company is headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsb ...

, where he worked on the stresses of subway tunnels crossing the Hudson River. Ellis completed coursework to extend his knowledge of structural engineering at the University of Illinois. In 1922 he was expert enough to author a benchmark textbook in the field, Essentials in the Theory of Framed Structures. Ellis began working on the Golden Gate Bridge in 1922, the same year he gained his engineering certificate from University of Illinois. He remained with the project until December 1931. He then opened a consultancy practice in Chicago, working as an advisor to the

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by United States Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was ...

. During his career, he was a professor at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, the University of Illinois, and

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

. His papers are held at the Purdue University library.

Golden Gate Bridge structural design

Ellis was responsible for the structural design of the bridge, working from the overall design by Strauss. A dispute over the time it was taking to complete the design led Strauss to accuse Ellis of wasting time and money and to dismiss him from the project. The copy of the engineering drawings for the Golden Gate Bridge on file at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

is signed by Ellis but the plaque placed on the bridge in 1937 did not give him any credit. In 2012, Ellis was officially given recognition for his part in the designing process of the Golden Gate Bridge when a plaque was installed on the south tower to acknowledge his contributions.

References

Bibliography

* * * * American structural engineers Wesleyan University alumni University of Michigan faculty Purdue University faculty People from Parkman, Maine 1949 deaths 1876 births University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Grainger College of Engineering alumni {{US-engineer-stub