Antoine Lipkens
Antoine Lipkens (1782-c1847)
1836 Antoine Lipkens of The Hague, a Government Engineer, became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.[1]
1848 Obituary [2]
Mynheer Antoine Lipkens was born at Maestrecht, in the year 1782. His father; who was a cloth manufacturer, afforded him such limited instruction as could be procured from the Professors of his native town ; he, however, was so devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, that with some difficulty he obtained the means of travelling to Paris, with the view of being examined for election into the Ecole Polytechnique. He suffered a severe disappointment in arriving too late; but by dint of persevering solicitation he obtained permission to attend the lectures of the school. His studies were so successful, that in a short time he was placed upon the Topographical Survey of the Department of the Loire, and successively, up to the year 1813, upon those of the Cher and the Arriege.
He was then temporarily employed in military engineering duties. After the establishment of peace in Europe, M. Lipkens resumed his civil position, and in 1827 was placed at the Hague, as Engineer-in-Chief of the Topographical Survey ; and the zealous and talented performance of his duties induced, in the year 1831, his nomination as a Knight of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands. He then became one of the Councillors of the Ministry of the Interior, having more especially the department of the Patents under his charge. In the duties of this office, which so perfectly accorded with his tastes, he laboured most zealously in the advancement of mechanical inventions and introductions for the benefit of his native country, and by the amenity of his manner and the soundness of his advice and opinions, he won the esteem and admiration of all those who were brought officially into contact with him.....[more]