Gustave Eiffel
French civil engineer known for the Eiffel Tower and contributions to the Statue of Liberty.
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. Born in the Côte-d'Or, he was the first child of Catherine-Mélanie and Alexandre Bonickhausen dit Eiffel. The family, descended from a German emigrant, adopted the name Eiffel after the Eifel mountains, though the name was not legally changed until 1880. His mother ran a successful coal business, and due to her commitments, Eiffel spent much of his childhood with his grandmother. He found his early schooling at the Lycée Royal in Dijon uninteresting, but in his final two years, inspired by his history and literature teachers, he studied seriously and earned baccalauréats in both humanities and science. His education was enriched by his uncle, a chemist, and a family friend, who taught him about chemistry, mining, and philosophy. He attended the Collège Sainte-Barbe in Paris to prepare for engineering entrance exams, and chose to attend the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, where he specialized in chemistry and graduated 13th out of 80 in 1855. After graduation, a family dispute prevented him from working in his uncle’s workshop. He found his first paid role as a private secretary to railway engineer Charles Nepveu. When Nepveu’s firm went bankrupt, Eiffel designed a sheet iron bridge for the Saint Germaine railway. Nepveu then became managing director of two factories and made Eiffel head of the research department. In 1857, Nepveu secured a contract for a railway bridge over the Garonne at Bordeaux. This iron girder bridge, supported by six pairs of masonry piers, used compressed air caissons and hydraulic rams—innovative techniques at the time. Eiffel initially managed the metalwork assembly and later took over the entire project when Nepveu resigned in 1860. After completing the bridge on schedule, Eiffel became principal engineer of the Compagnie Belge. He later resigned to become an independent consulting engineer, working on railway stations at Toulouse and Agen, and overseeing construction of 33 locomotives for Egypt. He also assisted in designing the arch girders for the Galerie des Machines at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, conducting valuable research on the structural properties of cast iron.
- born
- 15 December 1832
- died
- 27 December 1923
- field
- Civil engineering
- nationality
- French
- known_for
- Eiffel Tower, Garabit Viaduct, contribution to Statue of Liberty
Lore & Background
Eiffel was born in France, in the Côte-d'Or, the first child of Catherine-Mélanie (née Moneuse) and Alexandre Bonickhausen dit Eiffel. He was a descendant of Jean-René Bönickhausen, who emigrated from the German town of Marmagen and settled in Paris at the beginning of the 18th century. The family adopted the name Eiffel as a reference to the Eifel mountains. His name was registered at birth as Bonickhausen dit Eiffel and was not formally changed to Eiffel until 1880. He graduated from École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in 1855. After early work on railway bridges, he set up his own workshops in 1866 and formed the company Eiffel et Cie in 1868. His company built the Garabit Viaduct and the Maria Pia Bridge over the Douro. After retirement, he focused on research into meteorology and aerodynamics.
Reader's Guide
Eiffel’s professional life was defined by structural engineering, particularly the design and construction of iron railway bridges. His early career included managing the innovative use of compressed air caissons and hydraulic rams to build a major iron girder bridge over the Garonne at Bordeaux, a project that brought him recognition. He later established his own firm, which became famous for large-scale metal structures. Among his most celebrated railway bridges is the Garabit Viaduct, a feat of iron arch construction. His company also designed and built the iconic Eiffel Tower for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, a structure that became a global symbol of engineering. Additionally, Eiffel contributed to the construction of the Statue of Liberty in New York, another monumental iron framework. Beyond his structural work, he conducted valuable research with Henri Treca on the structural properties of cast iron, definitively establishing the modulus of elasticity for compound castings. After retiring from engineering, Eiffel shifted his focus to scientific research, making significant contributions in the fields of meteorology and aerodynamics. His legacy thus spans both monumental civil engineering and foundational experimental science, linking practical construction with theoretical understanding of materials and forces.
Did You Know?
- Eiffel's family originally used the surname Bonickhausen dit Eiffel, and he did not legally change his name to Eiffel until 1880.
- The Eiffel Tower was designed by his company, not by Eiffel personally; the design was originated by Koechlin and Nouguier.
- Eiffel's mother expanded a charcoal business into a coal-distribution business, which allowed the family to retire comfortably.
- He visited the Suez Canal while overseeing construction of locomotives for the Egyptian government.
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