The Resume

(June 12, 1806-July 22, 1869)
Born in Muehlhausen, Germany
Birth name was Johann August Röbling
Civil engineer
Pioneer in suspension bridge design
Best known for designing the Brooklyn Bridge
Died during construction
Brooklyn Bridge completed by his son Washington Roebling and daughter-in-law Emily Warren Roebling

Why he might be annoying:

He did not bother to submit his final thesis or take the second exam required to be licensed as an engineer in Prussia.
After emigrating to the US (1831), he and his brother Carl founded a German settlement named Saxonburg in Pennsylvania. It failed, partly because of the effects of the Panic of 1837 and partly because John was nowhere near as good a farmer as he was an engineer.
When his foot was crushed between a ferry and a dock piling, he dismissed the doctor and tried to treat the injury with 'water therapy' -- continuously pouring water over the wound. He died of tetanus 24 days later.

Why he might not be annoying:

He built a large factory to produce wire rope in Trenton, New Jersey, that inspired the city motto, 'Trenton makes, the world takes.'
At the time of his death, he had built the world's longest suspension bridge, the 1,031-feet long Cincinnati-Covington Bridge, which was later renamed in his honor.
The 'Brooklyn Eagle' editorialized, 'One such life as Roebling's was worth more than those of a whole convention full of jabbering and wrangling politicians.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Breeders [Have 5 or More Kids] (Ranked: 9)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 94]
• Look at Me, My Picture Is Art
• People with John or Mary in their Names
• Profiles 58001-58250 (Ranked: 58048)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 15 Votes: 6.67% Annoying