George Goethals

George Goethals (1858-1928), American army officer and engineer. George Washington Goethals was born in Brooklyn, New York, and educated at the College of the City of New York and the United States Military Academy. Upon graduating from the academy in 1880 he was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers in the U.S. Army.

In 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Goethals chief engineer of the Panama Canal, with full responsibility for constructing the canal and administering the Canal Zone. His capable handling of personnel problems, in addition to his engineering skill, contributed greatly to the success of the project, which was completed in 1914, three years ahead of schedule. Goethals was governor of the Canal Zone from 1914 to 1916 and was promoted to the rank of major general in 1915. He served during World War I as quartermaster general and director of purchase, storage, and traffic for the army. After the war he retired from active duty to become a civil engineering consultant in New York City. The Goethals Bridge between Staten Island, New York, and Elizabeth, New Jersey, is named after him.