Fleming, Sir Sandford (1827-1915), a Canadian civil engineer, developed the Intercolonial Railway, which connected New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with Quebec. He also made surveys for the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. After 1876, he played a prominent role in establishing standard time zones (see Standard time ). In addition, Fleming persuaded the Canadian, Australian, and British governments to cooperate in laying the Pacific cable between Australia and Vancouver in 1902. The cable established a system of communication connecting the entire British Empire.
Fleming was born on Jan. 7, 1827, in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. He moved to Canada when he was 18. He joined the engineering staff of the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway, and in 1857 became its chief engineer. Fleming supported the development of transcontinental railroads. He became engineer in chief of the government railroads and a director of the Canadian Pacific Railway. He also paid the expense of locating a railway line in Newfoundland. He retired from active engineering in 1880.
Fleming was also interested in political affairs. He served as chancellor of Queen’s University in Ontario from 1880 to 1915. Fleming Hall on the Queen’s campus is named in his honor. He died on July 22, 1915.
