Thomas Stewart | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1857-03-30)30 March 1857 Craigend,Perthshire,Scotland |
| Died | 23 October 1942(1942-10-23) (aged 85) |
| Education | University of Glasgow |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Mackintosh Young (1902–1921); Matabele Thompson (m.1928) |
| Children | 3 sons |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Civil Engineer |
| Significant design | Woodhead Dam |
Thomas Stewart (30 March 1857 – 23 October 1942) was ahydraulic engineer, who was born inScotland and died atCape Town,South Africa.[1] He designed theWoodhead Dam, which was named anInternational Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers in 2008.[2] He was called the "father of consulting engineering in South Africa"[2] and the "first South Africanconsulting engineer".[3]
Stewart was born at Craigend,Perthshire, Scotland on 30 March 1857. At age 16, he became a student of D.H. Halkett inAlyth. In 1876, he was named an assistant at the Glasgow Corporation Waterworks. He studied at the University of Glasgow.[1] In 1881, he was an assistant toJohn Wolfe-Barry. In 1882, he was named byCrown Agents for the Colonies as an assistant to J.G. Gamble for water supply and irrigation in theCape Colony.[1]
He resigned from Government Service in 1886, visited Britain, and returned to South Africa as resident engineer for theCradock waterworks. He designed the waterworks forWynberg.[1] In 1892, he began a private practice in Cape Town.[3] His early projects included the design and construction of five reservoirs on Table Mountain.[1] These were Woodhead, Hely-Hutchinson, Alexandra, Victoria, and De Villiers.[2] He went on to build other reservoirs, waterworks, and wastewater treatment plants in South Africa.[1][3]
In theSecond Boer War, he was amajor without pay in theRoyal Engineers. He worked in the construction of defence works.[1]
In 1902, he married Mary Mackintosh Young. They had three sons. She died in 1921. In 1928, he married Matabele, widow of F.R. Thompson.[1]
He was a member of theInstitution of Civil Engineers, the second president of the Cape Society of Engineers, and a president of the Royal Society of South Africa.[3]
Stewart died atKenilworth, Cape Town at the age of 85.