Emily Warren Roebling was born on September 23, 1843, in Cold Spring, New York. Her father was a farmer. Her brother became a famous general. Emily was smart and loved to learn, even though girls did not get much schooling back then.
Emily married an engineer named Washington Roebling in 1865. Soon after, they traveled to Europe. Washington studied bridges there. Emily watched and learned too. She got very interested in how bridges are built.
In 1869, Washington's father died. Washington became the chief engineer of a huge new project: the Brooklyn Bridge. This bridge would connect Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Building the bridge was hard and dangerous. Workers used big underwater boxes called caissons to build the base of the bridge. In 1872, Washington got very sick from working in the caissons. He could barely leave his bed.
Emily decided to help. She studied hard subjects like math and engineering. She learned how to read blueprints and understand cables and towers. Soon, she was going to the bridge site every day. She gave workers instructions from Washington. She checked their work. She solved problems on her own.
By the mid-1870s, Emily was running the project almost by herself. She checked materials, watched over construction, and talked with city leaders and workers. People started calling her the bridge's real manager, even though Washington still had the official title.
In 1882, Emily did something amazing. She spoke to the American Society of Civil Engineers. She was the first woman ever to speak to this group. She explained that Washington was still smart and capable, even though he was sick. Her speech showed everyone how much she knew about engineering.
The Brooklyn Bridge was finished in 1883. It was the longest bridge of its kind in the world. On May 23, 1883, there was a big celebration. A famous speaker praised Emily by name for her hard work. Her name was even put on a special plaque with her husband's name.
The next day, Emily became the first person to cross the finished bridge. She rode in a carriage and carried a live rooster for good luck.
After the bridge was done, Emily and Washington moved to Trenton, New Jersey. Emily decided to study law. She earned a law degree, which was rare for women at the time. She wrote an essay called "A Wife's Disabilities." In it, she argued that wives should have more legal rights.
Emily joined many groups that helped women. She supported women's colleges and women's clubs. She helped organize women's part in a big world fair in 1893.
Emily and Washington had one son, named John. Emily was a busy mother while also working on the bridge and her studies.
For many years after she died, most people forgot about Emily's role in building the bridge. They only remembered the men. But later, historians and writers remembered her important work. In 2018, a newspaper finally wrote a special article about her, since she never got one when she died.
Emily Warren Roebling died on February 28, 1903, in Trenton, New Jersey. She was 59 years old. Today, people remember her as a brave and brilliant woman who helped build one of the world's most famous bridges.
