Ira Grant Hedrick (April 6, 1868 – December 28, 1937) 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 ...

who designed the

Burnside Bridge The Burnside Bridge is a 1926-built bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, carrying Burnside Street. It is the second bridge at the same site to carry that name. It was added to the National Register o ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, the Red River Bridge, Clarendon, and Newport bridges in Arkansas, and many other bridges and

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...

s.New York Times:IRA GRANT HEDRICK, DESIGNER OF BRIDGES; Built the Burnside Lift Span at Portland, Ore.-Firm Did Work in Mexico-Dies at 69;December 29, 1937
/ref>Historic American Engineering Record:Red River Bridge;HAER no. AR-14
/ref> Historic American Engineering Record;Clarendon Bridge;HAER AR-49
/ref>Historic American Engineering Record;AR-12 Newport Bridge
/ref> Hedrick designed many large scale bridges in Arkansas in late 1920s through early 1930s. Hedrick was also president of the Kansas City Viaduct and Terminal Railway Company. The Historic American Engineering Record says that he was "one of the outstanding engineers of the South". Hedrick was a member 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 1899, Hedrick was promoted by J.A.L. Waddell from Chief Draftsman to Partner of the firm Waddell & Hedrick, where he assisted in the design of Canada's

New Westminster Bridge The New Westminster Bridge (also known as the New Westminster Rail Bridge (NWRB) or the Fraser River Swing Bridge) is a swing bridge that crosses the Fraser River and connects New Westminster with Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The bridge is ...

(opened 1904).

Life and career

Hedrick was born in

West Salem, Illinois West Salem is a village in Edwards County, Illinois, United States. The population was 786 at the 2020 census, down from 897 at the 2010 census. History The West Salem area was settled in the 1830s and early 1840s by Moravians primarily from ...

. He received his B.S. in civil engineering

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

at Fayetteville in 1892. He received another bachelor's degree from the university in 1899 in

Applied Science Applied science is the application of the scientific method and scientific knowledge to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines, such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted with basic science, ...

and M.S. degree in 1901. He earned his D.Sc. degree from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

in 1905.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedrick, Ira G. 1868 births 1937 deaths American civil engineers University of Arkansas alumni McGill University alumni People from Edwards County, Illinois Engineers from Illinois