John Smeaton (1724-1792)

A Narrative of the Building and a Description of the Construction of the Edystone Lighthouse with Stone; to which is subjoined an appendix giving some account of the lighthouse on the Spurn Point built upon a sand.2d. ed., corr. London: G. Nicol, 1793.

Smeaton, a British instrument-maker, is considered to be the "father of Civil Engineering." The first to assign a name to his newfound profession, Smeaton as he was perhaps the first to call himself such. A Fellow of the Royal Society, Smeaton was recruited to design the Eddystone Lighthouse (1755-59). His pioneering use of building materials, including waterproof mortar and interlocking granite blocks, cemented his position as a civil engineer. Counted among his projects were bridges, canals, and viaducts throughout the United Kingdom.