Agustín de Betancourt

Agustín de Betancourt y Molina (Russian: Августин Августинович де Бетанкур, tr. Avgustin Avgustinovich de Betankur; French: Augustin Bétancourt; 1 February 1758 – 24 July 1824) was a prominent Spanish engineer, who worked in Spain, France and Russia. His work ranged from steam engines and balloons to structural engineering and urban planning. As an educator, Betancourt founded and managed the Spanish Corps of Civil Engineers and the Saint Petersburg Institute of Communications Engineers. As an urban planner and construction manager, Betancourt supervised planning and construction in Saint Petersburg, Kronstadt, Nizhny Novgorod and other Russian cities.