Washington A. Roebling
1837 Born, the son of John Augustus Roebling who conceived the idea for the East River Bridge in New York.
1869 After the death of John Roebling as result of an accident, his 32-year-old son Washington A. Roebling took charge of the project.
During construction, many workers suffered from the bends, then known as "caisson disease", and Washington Roebling himself succumbed in January 1870, leaving him unable to physically supervise the site work. He then had to supervise the project from his apartment, supported by his wife Emily Warren Roebling. She embarked on intensive civil engineering studies, and for 11 years paid a key role in supervising the bridge's construction.
1926 Died in Trenton, New Jersey
The above information is condensed from the Wikipedia entry.