John Benjamin Henck

John Benjamin Henck (October 20, 1815 Philadelphia – January 3, 1903 Montecito, California) although educated as a classical scholar and graduating as valedictorian of the Harvard class of 1840 yet, during his career, transitioned to a practicing civil engineer. As an engineering educator, Henck required a strict knowledge of classical literature" and a "thorough and accurate knowledge of science". One of his notable students was Arthur M Wellington, author of The Economic Theory of the Location of Railways.(1877, first edition.)

Biography Henck was the son of George Daniel and Caroline (Spiess) Henck. He was prepared for college mainly by home study, and graduated from Harvard University, valedictorian, in 1840. He was principal of Hopkins Classical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1840-1841, professor of Latin and Greek at the University of Maryland, 1841-1842, and professor of Latin and Greek at Germantown Academy, Philadelphia, where he remained until 1847. He began by studying in the office of Felton and Parker, Charlestown, Massachusetts. In 1848, he opened his own consulting practice and immediately had charge of the building of a railroad from Charlestown, New Hampshire, to Windsor, Vermont. ) He had charge of the laying out and filling up of new lands of the state of Massachusetts and Boston Water Power Company, now known as the Back Bay district in Boston. He was probably the engineer with the most responsibility for that project. But meanwhile he continued his oversight of the laying out of streets and lots in the Back Bay. He was engineer for the Metropolitan and other street railroads in Boston and vicinity, 1856-1861. As an engineering educator, Henck required a "thorough and accurate knowledge of science," just as he once had advocated a strict knowledge of classical literature".