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John Griffith (engineer)
Encyclopedia
Sir John Purser Griffith (5 October 1848 – 21 October 1938) was an Irish
civil engineer
.
John Griffith was educated at Trinity College
Dublin and gained a license in civil engineering
in 1868. He served a two year apprenticeship under Dr Bindon Blood Stoney, the Engineer in Chief of the Dublin Port and Docks
, before working as assistant to the county surveyor
of County Antrim
. He returned to Dublin in 1871 and worked as Dr. Stoney's assistant, becoming the Chief Engineer in 1898 before retiring in 1913.
He served as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers in Ireland between 1887 and 1889 and of the Institution of Civil Engineers
between 1919 and 1920. He was elected Commissioner of Irish Lights
in 1913 and was a member of the Royal Commission
on Canals and Waterways between 1906 and 1911.
Griffith purchased and drained the bogland at Pollagh
, part of the Bog of Allen
, a peat fuelled power station was built which drove an excavator, excess peat being taken by the Grand Canal for sale in Dublin. The site was sold to the Turf Development Board in 1936 who used it as a basis for all of their later peat fuelled power stations, the area is now a nature reserve.
Griffith received a knighthood in 1911 and became vice-president of Royal Dublin Society
in 1922. He served as Honorary Professor of Harbour Engineering in Trinity College, his alma mater, and received an honorary M.A.I. degree from the University of Dublin in 1914. From 1922 he was an elected member of the Seanad Éireann
, the Irish senate, until its abolition in 1936. In the 1930s he and his wife, Sarah Purser, endowed the Purser Griffith Travelling Scholarship and the Purser Griffith Prize to the two best performing students in European Art History at University College Dublin
.
He died at Rathmines Castle in Dublin on 21 October 1938.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
.
John Griffith was educated at Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
Dublin and gained a license in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
in 1868. He served a two year apprenticeship under Dr Bindon Blood Stoney, the Engineer in Chief of the Dublin Port and Docks
Dublin Port
Dublin Port is Ireland's biggest sea port. It has both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximatively two-thirds of the Republic of Ireland's port traffic goes via Dublin Port...
, before working as assistant to the county surveyor
County surveyor
1. A county surveyor is a public official in many counties of the USA. At the bottom of this page are working "External Links" as at 4 November 2011 to websites of a selection of such County Surveyor's departments. Most of these officials are elected on the partisan ballot to four-year terms...
of County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
. He returned to Dublin in 1871 and worked as Dr. Stoney's assistant, becoming the Chief Engineer in 1898 before retiring in 1913.
He served as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers in Ireland between 1887 and 1889 and of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
between 1919 and 1920. He was elected Commissioner of Irish Lights
Commissioners of Irish Lights
The Commissioners of Irish Lights is the body that serves as the lighthouse authority for Ireland plus its adjacent seas and islands...
in 1913 and was a member of the Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
on Canals and Waterways between 1906 and 1911.
Griffith purchased and drained the bogland at Pollagh
Pollagh
There is also a Pollagh on Achill Island, County Mayo Pollagh also spelled Pullough is a village in County Offaly, Ireland, located in the midlands of Ireland. The name Pollagh comes from the Irish Poll ach, literally meaning expansive hole, but practically meaning "broad expanse of shallow water"...
, part of the Bog of Allen
Bog of Allen
The Bog of Allen is a large raised bog in the centre of Ireland between the rivers Liffey and Shannon.The bog's 958 square kilometers stretch into County Offaly, County Meath, County Kildare, County Laois, and County Westmeath. Peat is mechanically harvested on a large scale by Bórd na Móna,...
, a peat fuelled power station was built which drove an excavator, excess peat being taken by the Grand Canal for sale in Dublin. The site was sold to the Turf Development Board in 1936 who used it as a basis for all of their later peat fuelled power stations, the area is now a nature reserve.
Griffith received a knighthood in 1911 and became vice-president of Royal Dublin Society
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
in 1922. He served as Honorary Professor of Harbour Engineering in Trinity College, his alma mater, and received an honorary M.A.I. degree from the University of Dublin in 1914. From 1922 he was an elected member of the Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann (Irish Free State)
Seanad Éireann was the upper house of the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State from 1922–1936. It has also been known simply as the Senate, or as the First Seanad. The Senate was established under the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State but a number of constitutional amendments were...
, the Irish senate, until its abolition in 1936. In the 1930s he and his wife, Sarah Purser, endowed the Purser Griffith Travelling Scholarship and the Purser Griffith Prize to the two best performing students in European Art History at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
.
He died at Rathmines Castle in Dublin on 21 October 1938.