Canvass White - Birth, Engineer

Civil engineer, born in Whiteshyboro, New York, USA. In 1816 he became an assistant to Benjamin Wright, chief engineer of the Erie Canal. In 1817–18 he was sent to England to study construction methods, and on his return he surveyed improved routes for the canal. He also developed a high-quality cement (patented 1820), and worked on other canals and water projects.

Canvass White (September 8, 1790 – December 18, 1834) was an engineer and inventor. He was chief engineer at the Delaware and Raritan Canal and he patented a type of hydraulic cement.

Birth

He was born on September 8, 1790, in Whitestown, New York.

Engineer

His first job as an engineer was on the Erie Canal in 1816 working for chief engineer Judge Benjamin Wright. Then from 1924 until the summer of 1826, he was Chief Engineer on the Union Canal (Pennsylvania). He was then appointed Chief Engineer of the Delaware and Raritan Canal in 1825 and of the Lehigh Canal in 1827. He was also a Consulting Engineer for the Schuylkill Navigation Company and for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.