William P. Anderson
Encyclopedia
Colonel William Patrick Anderson (1851–1927) was a Canadian civil engineer
. He was Superintendent of Lighthouses for almost 40 years, and was responsible for many of the more notable lighthouses in Canada.
and educated at what is now Bishop's University
. After studying for a year at Manitoba College
, he began work as a railway and township surveyor
. In 1874, he began work as a draftsman at the Department of Marine and Fisheries in Ottawa
, working on the design of lighthouses. In 1876 he married Dorothea Susannah Small.
, the construction and installation in 1898 of the first-order fog siren station on Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)
, and the nine flying buttress
lighthouses at Pointe-au-Pere, Escarpement Bagot, Estevan Point
, Michipicoten Island
, Caribou Island, Belle Isle Northeast
, Cape Bauld
, Cape Norman
, and Cape Anguille
. Near the end of his career, Anderson designed the visually appealing Point Abino Lighthouse near Fort Erie, Ontario
.
Anderson had an active interest in military matters. He joined the Canadian Militia
in 1864, saw active service during the First and Second Fenian Raids
, and later commanded the Ottawa and Carleton Rifles regiment in the militia. He was made a companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1913.
Colonel William P. Anderson died at home in Ottawa on February 1, 1927, and was survived by his wife, a daughter, and four sons. His grave is in Beechwood Cemetery
.
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...
. He was Superintendent of Lighthouses for almost 40 years, and was responsible for many of the more notable lighthouses in Canada.
Early life and career
He was born September 4, 1851 at Levis, QuebecLévis, Quebec
Lévis is a city in eastern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Quebec City. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Lévis, and two bridges, the Quebec Bridge and the Pierre Laporte Bridge, connect western Lévis with Quebec City. The Société de transport de...
and educated at what is now Bishop's University
Bishop's University
Bishop's University is a predominantly undergraduate university in Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Bishop's is one of three universities in the province of Quebec that teach primarily in the English language...
. After studying for a year at Manitoba College
Manitoba College
Manitoba College was a college that existed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from 1871 to 1967, when it became one of the University of Winnipeg's founding colleges. It was one of the first institutions of higher learning in the city of Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba...
, he began work as a railway and township surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
. In 1874, he began work as a draftsman at the Department of Marine and Fisheries in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, working on the design of lighthouses. In 1876 he married Dorothea Susannah Small.
Later career
Anderson became Chief Engineer of the department in 1880, and served continuously until his retirement in 1919. During his career, he designed and built more than 500 lighthouses and fifty fog-alarm stations across Canada. Among the more important works may be mentioned the Colchester Reef lighthouse (1885) on a caisson in Lake ErieLake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, the construction and installation in 1898 of the first-order fog siren station on Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Belle Isle is an uninhabited island just off the coast of Labrador and north of Newfoundland at the Atlantic entrance to the Strait of Belle Isle which takes its name...
, and the nine flying buttress
Flying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
lighthouses at Pointe-au-Pere, Escarpement Bagot, Estevan Point
Estevan Point
Estevan Point is a lighthouse located on the headland of the same name on the Hesquiat Peninsula on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada....
, Michipicoten Island
Michipicoten Island
Michipicoten Island is an island in Ontario, Canada, in the northeastern part of Lake Superior, approximately 175 km northwest of Sault Ste. Marie and 65 km southwest of Wawa, Ontario...
, Caribou Island, Belle Isle Northeast
Belle Isle Northeast
Belle Isle Northeast Light is a 27 metres tall, 12-sided flying buttress lighthouse located on Belle Isle, Newfoundland, which was built in 1905. It is one of three lighthouses on the island and was maintained by the Canadian Government despite the fact that Newfoundland didn't join confederation...
, Cape Bauld
Cape Bauld
Cape Bauld is a headland located at the northeasternmost point of Great Northern Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
, Cape Norman
Cape Norman
Cape Norman is a barren, limestone headland located at the northernmost point of insular Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
, and Cape Anguille
Cape Anguille
The Headland of Cape Anguille is near the community of Cape Anguille at the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the most western point of land on the island of Newfoundland.A new lighthouse was established on the cape in 1960,...
. Near the end of his career, Anderson designed the visually appealing Point Abino Lighthouse near Fort Erie, Ontario
Fort Erie, Ontario
Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York....
.
Anderson had an active interest in military matters. He joined the Canadian Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
in 1864, saw active service during the First and Second Fenian Raids
Fenian raids
Between 1866 and 1871, the Fenian raids of the Fenian Brotherhood who were based in the United States; on British army forts, customs posts and other targets in Canada, were fought to bring pressure on Britain to withdraw from Ireland. They divided many Catholic Irish-Canadians, many of whom were...
, and later commanded the Ottawa and Carleton Rifles regiment in the militia. He was made a companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1913.
Colonel William P. Anderson died at home in Ottawa on February 1, 1927, and was survived by his wife, a daughter, and four sons. His grave is in Beechwood Cemetery
Beechwood Cemetery
Beechwood Cemetery is the National Cemetery of Canada. Because it is located in Ottawa, Ontario, the nation's capital, it is the burial site for a number of statesmen as well as a large number of mayors of the city. A woodland cemetery founded in 1873, it is 160 acres and is the largest cemetery...
.