George Washington Whistler
George Washington Whistler (May 19, 1800 – April 7, 1849) was a prominent American civil engineer best known for building steam locomotives and railroads. He is credited with introducing the steam whistle to American locomotives.
George Washington Whistler | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Major George Washington Whistler by Henry Inman | |
| Born | May 19, 1800 Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Died | April 7, 1849 (aged 48) St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Burial place | Stonington, Connecticut |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy |
| Occupation | Civil engineer |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 8; including James McNeill Whistler |
| Parent(s) | John Whistler and Anna Bishop |
In 1842, Tsar Nicholas I hired him to build the Saint Petersburg–Moscow Railway, Russia's first large-scale railroad. One of Whistler's important influences was the introduction of the Howe truss for the Russian railroad's bridges. This inspired the renowned Russian engineer Dmitrii Ivanovich Zhuravskii (1821–1891) to perform studies and develop structural analysis techniques for Howe truss bridges.
He was the father of American artist James McNeill Whistler, whose painting Whistler's Mother (of his second wife Anna Whistler) is among the most famous paintings in American art.