Marx, Charles David, 1858-1940

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Charles David Marx was one of Stanford's original faculty, the Old Guard. He came to Stanford in 1891 as Professor of Civil Engineering and taught here until his retirement in 1923. He formed close friendships with his students and was affectionately known as Daddy Marx.

Marx was born in Ohio in 1857; during part of his youth he lived in Holland and Germany. He earned a bachelor's of civil engineering from Cornell University in 1878, after which he returned to Germany for further study. Before joining the Cornell faculty in 1884 he worked as an engineer on railroad and river projects in the eastern United States.

Marx's activities outside his Stanford work included serving on the Palo Alto Board of Trustees from 1896 to 1904 and 1908 to 1933; chairing the first State Water Commission after its organization in 1911; and serving as President of the American Society of Civil Engineers. After his retirement from teaching, Marx was a consultant on many hydraulic and sanitary engineering projects.

From the guide to the Charles David Marx Papers, 1873-1942, (Stanford University. Libraries. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.)