Emily Warren Roebling Biography

Emily Warren Roebling was a female engineer largely responsible for guiding construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. She was married to Washington Roebling, a civil engineer, who was Chief Engineer during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. In order to help her husband in his work, she extensively studied civil engineering topics like strength of materials, stress analysis, and cable construction. She had some prior interest and knowledge about bridge construction even before her husband's appointment as Chief Engineer. Her knowledge about the subject came in handy when her husband became ill with caisson disease. As the disease progressed, he became increasingly disabled, forcing Emily to fulfill most of his engineering duties in the construction of the bridge. Along with her husband, she jointly planned the bridge's continued construction, and actively managed the day-to-day construction activities. Over the course of the work, she engaged with politicians, engineers, and others associated with the bridge and was recognized as the engineer largely responsible for guiding construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. For years she remained busy in overseeing the work on the bridge, and served as an effective spokesperson on behalf of her husband.