Goethals, George W. (George Washington), 1858-1928

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1858-06-29
Death 1928-01-21
Americans
English

Biographical notes:

Born in 1858 in Brooklyn, New York, Goethals graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1880. Goethals was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1907 when he was appointed chief engineer for the construction of the Panama Canal.. Under his management construction was completed in 1914, about one year early.

From the guide to the George Washington Goethals Letter MSS. 0575., 1918 March 27, (University Libraries Division of Special Collections, The University of Alabama)

Army engineer and constructor of the Panama Canal Zone.

From the description of Letter, 1918. (Boston Athenaeum). WorldCat record id: 41418136

American Army officer and engineer, who was chief engineer on the construction of the Panama Canal (1907-1914) and later became governor of the Canal Zone (1914-1917). During World War I he worked in the Quartermaster's Dept.

From the description of George Washington Goethals microfilm collection, 1901-1915 [microform]. 1970. (US Army, Mil Hist Institute). WorldCat record id: 22740075

Governor of the Canal Zone, army officer, and engineer.

From the description of Papers of George W. Goethals, circa 1890-1929. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71067689

Engineer.

Goethals was an alumnus of City College, Class of 1877.

From the description of Papers, 1913-1928. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 155502756

Biographical Note

1858, 29 June Born, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1880 Graduated, United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. 1880 1882 Student officer, Engineering School of Application, Willetts Point, N.Y. 1882 1884 Engineer officer, Department of Columbia 1884 Married Effie Rodman 1884 1885 Engineer officer, improvements on the Ohio River for navigation 1885 1889 Instructor and assistant professor of civil and military engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. 1889 1894 Engineer officer, improvements on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, and in charge of completion of the Muscle Shoals Canal and construction of the Colbert Shoals Lock 1894 1898 Assistant to chief of engineers, United States Army 1898 Chief engineer, First United States Army Corps, and campaign in Puerto Rico 1898 1900 Professor of practical military engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. 1900 1905 Engineer officer in charge of river and harbor works, Bolck Island to Nantucket, and the fortifications of Narragansett Bay and New Bedford, Mass. 1903 1907 Member, General Staff, United States Army 1905 Graduated, United States Army War College Accompanied Secretary of War William H. Taft on an inspection trip to the Isthmus of Panama 1907 Promoted to lieutenant colonel, United States Army Appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt as chairman and chief engineer, Isthmian Canal Commission 1907 1914 Chief engineer, construction of the Panama Canal 1909 Promoted to colonel, United States Army 1911 Appointed member of a Joint Board of Officers of the Army and Navy to make a report upon defenses for the Panama Canal 1914 1917 Governor, Panama Canal Zone 1915 Promoted to major general, United States Army 1916 Chairman of the board appointed to report on the Adamson Eight-Hour Law 1917 General manager, United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corp. Acting quartermaster general, United States Army 1918 Chief, Division of Storage and Traffic of the General Staff, United States Army Chief, Division of Purchase, Storage and Traffic United States Army 1918 Awarded Distinguished Service Medal for meritorious service in reorganizing the Quartermaster Department, United States Army 1919 1923 President and head engineer, George W. Goethals and Co., New York, N.Y. 1923 Fuel administrator of New York during Anthracite coal strike 1923 1928 Consulting engineer on projects such as Inner Harbor Navigation Canal, New Orleans, La.; Columbia Basin Irrigation Project; East Bay Municipal Utility District of Oakland, Calif; and Lake Worth Inlet District in Florida. Served New York-Jersey Port and Harbor Commission (later Port of New York Authority) as chief consulting engineer 1928, Jan. 21 Died, New York, N.Y.

From the guide to the George W. Goethals Papers, 1890-1954, (bulk 1907-1927), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

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Subjects:

  • Anthracite Coal Strike, Pa., 1922
  • Canals
  • Canals
  • Eight-hour movement
  • Fuel trade
  • Politics and government
  • Government, Law and Politics
  • Immigration and American Expansion
  • Labor laws and legislation
  • Merchant marine
  • Railroads
  • Strikes and lockouts
  • War and Military
  • Canals

Occupations:

  • Army officers
  • Engineers
  • Governors

Places:

  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Canal Zone (as recorded)
  • Panama (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Canal Zone (as recorded)
  • Latin America (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)
  • Panama Canal (Panama) (as recorded)

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