John A. Bensel

John Anderson Bensel (August 16, 1863 – June 19, 1922) was an American civil engineer and politician from New York. He was President of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1910. He was New York State Engineer and Surveyor from 1911 to 1914.[1][2]

John Anderson Bensel
Bensel circa 1910–1915
New York State Engineer and Surveyor
In office
1911–1914
GovernorJohn Alden Dix
William Sulzer
Preceded byFrank Martin Williams
Succeeded byFrank Martin Williams
Personal details
Born(1863-08-16)August 16, 1863
New York City
DiedJune 19, 1922(1922-06-19) (aged 58)
Bernardsville, New Jersey
Spouse
Ella Louise Day
​
​
(m. 1896⁠–⁠1922)​
Parent(s)Brownlee Bensel
Mary Maclay Hogg
EducationStevens Institute of Technology (1884)
Signature

Biography

He was born on August 16, 1863, in New York City to Brownlee Bensel and Mary Maclay Hogg.[3] He graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1884, and became an assistant engineer with the Aqueduct Commission. Then he worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and from 1889 to 1895 was in charge of constructions on New York City's North River waterfront.

In 1896, he married Ella Louise Day. The same year he became Consulting Engineer of the Philadelphia Water Department. In 1898, he became Chief Engineer of the New York City Dock Department, and in 1906 was appointed a Dock Commissioner.

From 1908 to 1910, he was President of the New York City Board of Water Supply.[4] He was New York State Engineer and Surveyor from 1911 to 1914, elected on the Democratic ticket in 1910 and 1912, but defeated for re-election in 1914.

In 1914, he was investigated during Charles S. Whitman's graft investigation, but was cleared of all suspicions by his successor Frank M. Williams after the latter inspected the department's accounts in 1915.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

As a major, he commanded the 125th Battalion of Engineers of the U.S. Army during World War I.[2]

He died of myelitis on June 19, 1922, in Bernardsville, New Jersey at age 58.[2] He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.[1]

Legacy
Queen Anne Farm, now Cross Estate Gardens

Bensel's New Jersey mansion, which was built in 1905 and was named "Queen Anne Farm", is now Cross Estate Gardens and part of the Morristown National Historic Park. The surrounding grounds are open to visitors and contain a five-story stone water tower and a large Silver Maple tree planted by Bensel in 1906.

References
  1. "John Anderson Bensel". Political Graveyard. Retrieved October 18, 2012. Bensel, John Anderson (1863-1922) — also known as John A. Bensel — of Manhattan, New York County, N.Y.; Bernardsville, Somerset County, N.J. Born in New York, New York County, N.Y., 1863. Son of Brownlee Bensel and Mary Maclay (Hogg) Bensel. Democrat. Engineer; worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad; in charge of construction on New York City's North River waterfront, 1889-95; New York state engineer and surveyor, 1911-14; major in the U.S. Army during World War I. Died, of myelitis, in Bernardsville, Somerset County, N.J., June 19, 1922 (age about 58 years). Interment at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  2. "Major J. A. Bensel Of 125th Engineers Dies. Ex-State Engineer Had Directed Many Big Municipal Engineering Projects". The New York Times. June 20, 1922. p. 19. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Major John A. Bensel, who commanded the 125th Battalion of Engineers in the war, and for many years had done important engineering work for the city and State, died yesterday morning at his home in Bernardsville, ...
  3. Harrison, Mitchell C., ed. (1902). New York State's Prominent and Progressive Men. Vol. III. New-York Tribune. p. 24. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Google Books.
  4. "Bensel Named to Succeed Simmons" (PDF). The New York Times. January 31, 1908. p. 14. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  5. "Williams Attacks Bensel" (PDF). The New York Times. Albany, New York (published November 3, 1910). November 2, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  6. "Digs for Graft in 16 Accounts". The New York Times. January 26, 1914. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Bensel Balks; Won't Waive His Immunity" (PDF). The New York Times. February 18, 1914. p. 1. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  8. "Can't Find John A. Bensel" (PDF). The New York Times. Albany (published March 5, 1914). March 4, 1914. p. 5. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  9. "Bensel Refuses to Waive Immunity" (PDF). The New York Times. Albany (published April 3, 1914). April 2, 1914. p. 7. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  10. "Put Bensel's Work Under Scrutiny" (PDF). The New York Times. Albany (published January 5, 1915). January 2, 1915. p. 10. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  11. "Bensel Vindicated By His Successor" (PDF). The New York Times. Albany (published January 25, 1915). January 24, 1915. p. 6. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
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