Leffert L. Buck
Personal information
Nationality	American
Birth date	February 5, 1837(1837-02-05)[1]
Birth place	Canton, New York[1]
Date of death	July 17, 1909 (aged 72)[2]
Place of death	Hastings-on-Hudson, New York[2]
Work
Significant projects	Williamsburg Bridge

Leffert L. Buck (1837-1909) was an American civil engineer and a pioneer in the use of steel arch bridge structures. Leffert graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY in 1868. Some of his projects include:

• the Verrugas Viaduct on the Oroya Railroad in Peru (in the early 1870s)
• the steel suspension bridge over the Niagara Gorge
• one of New York City's most notable landmarks: the Williamsburg Bridge (with Henry Hornbostel). At 1,600 feet in 1903, it was the longest bridge in the world at the time and a key factor in opening Brooklyn up as a working class neighborhood for Manhattan. The bridge is well known for its vast reach and massive symmetry.

Before earning his civil engineering degree from RPI, Buck fought for the Union Army in the American Civil War under General Slocum, participating in the battles at Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Peachtree Creek, Resaca and Ringgold Gap.^[3]

A dormitory in the Quadrangle complex at Rensselaer is named after him.^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] Related Sites

• RPI:Alumni Hall of Fame:Leffert L. Buck