Frederick Eugene Turneaure (July 30, 1866 – March 31, 1951) was an American

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 i ...

and academic from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. A graduate of

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, Turneaure briefly worked in the private sector before joining

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

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, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

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

Early life

Frederick Eugene Turneaure was born near

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

, 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 regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

Career

Turneaure graduated in 1889, and took a job with the

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad in the Northeastern United States built predominantly to haul anthracite, anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania to major consumer markets in Philadelphia, New York City, and ...

. After a year, he joined the

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Rich ...

, where he worked until 1890.

hired Turneaure as an instructor of civil engineering. 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

. 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. During 1907–1931, he was dean of the University of Wisconsin College of Agriculture. In 1908 he served as president of the American Society for ...

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 * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

, 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. Turneaure died in Madison on March 31, 1951. He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery.

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 Burials at Forest Hill Cemetery (Madison, Wisconsin)