Spanish Engineer. He is regarded by many historians to be the Spanish equivalent of Leonardo da Vinci. He was educated at the École des Ponts et Chaussées (School of Bridges and Roadways) in Paris, France and founded the Escuela de Ingenieros de Caminos y Canales (School of Road and Canal Engineering) in Madrid, Spain and the Corps of Civil Engineering in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1788 he travelled to England, to gain knowledge of steam engines, then returned to mainland Europe and put into practice the knowledge he had gained, thereby contributing to the spread of the Industrial Revolution throughout the continent. He built Spain's first optical telegraphy system connecting Madrid and Aranjuez, and he was also the first to fly a hot-air balloon in Spain. On the eve of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Spain, he travelled to Russia where he gained the confidence of Czar Alexander I. There, he contributed decisively to the modernization of the country with a large number of civil engineering works, as well as establishing a modern currency printing facility in order to stem the tide of counterfeit bills. In 1822 he fell into disfavor at the court, and lost his chair as the Director of Communications, but retained other state jobs. The following year, he was devastated by the death of his only daughter and never recovered from this loss. In February 1824 he finally resigned, and died 5 months later at the age of 66. Originally interred at the Smolenskoe Lutheran Cemetery in Saint Petersburg, in 1979 his grave was relocated to the Lazarevskoe (Lazarus) Cemetery in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra complex.
Spanish Engineer. He is regarded by many historians to be the Spanish equivalent of Leonardo da Vinci. He was educated at the École des Ponts et Chaussées (School of Bridges and Roadways) in Paris, France and founded the Escuela de Ingenieros de Caminos y Canales (School of Road and Canal Engineering) in Madrid, Spain and the Corps of Civil Engineering in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1788 he travelled to England, to gain knowledge of steam engines, then returned to mainland Europe and put into practice the knowledge he had gained, thereby contributing to the spread of the Industrial Revolution throughout the continent. He built Spain's first optical telegraphy system connecting Madrid and Aranjuez, and he was also the first to fly a hot-air balloon in Spain. On the eve of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Spain, he travelled to Russia where he gained the confidence of Czar Alexander I. There, he contributed decisively to the modernization of the country with a large number of civil engineering works, as well as establishing a modern currency printing facility in order to stem the tide of counterfeit bills. In 1822 he fell into disfavor at the court, and lost his chair as the Director of Communications, but retained other state jobs. The following year, he was devastated by the death of his only daughter and never recovered from this loss. In February 1824 he finally resigned, and died 5 months later at the age of 66. Originally interred at the Smolenskoe Lutheran Cemetery in Saint Petersburg, in 1979 his grave was relocated to the Lazarevskoe (Lazarus) Cemetery in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra complex.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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