Stephenson, Robert (1803-1859), was a British engineer best known for designing and building the Rocket, a locomotive that served as the model for almost all later steam locomotives. He is also noted for building bridges, railroads, and viaducts. Stephenson introduced the use of tubular girders in the construction of iron bridges. His best-known bridges are the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait in Wales and the Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, Canada.
Stephenson was born on Oct. 16, 1803, at Willington Quay, near Newcastle. In 1823, he joined his father, George, a well-known engineer and inventor, and Edward Pease, a businessman, to form Robert Stephenson & Company, a locomotive manufacturing firm. In 1824, Robert went to Colombia as a mining engineer. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1827 and devoted himself to building railroads and managing the locomotive factory. In 1829, the Rocket gained fame for winning the Rainhill Trials, a competition among locomotives held by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. From 1833 to 1838, Stephenson was chief engineer for the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway, the first main rail line to enter London. In 1856, he completed Africa’s first railroad, in Egypt. Stephenson served in the House of Commons from 1847 until 1859. He died on Oct. 12, 1859.
See also Rocket ; Stephenson, George .
