# John L. Savage

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American civil engineer

John L. Savage John L. Savage Born (1879-12-25)December 25, 1879 Cooksville, Wisconsin Died December 28, 1967(1967-12-28) (aged 88) Englewood, Colorado Occupation Civil engineer Spouse(s) Jessie Burdick Sexsmith, Olga Lacher Miner Awards John Fritz Medal (1945) Washington Award (1949)

**John Lucian Savage** (December 25, 1879 – December 28, 1967) was an American [civil engineer](/source/Civil_engineer). Among the 60 major dams he supervised the designs for, he is best known for [Hoover Dam](/source/Hoover_Dam), [Shasta Dam](/source/Shasta_Dam), [Parker Dam](/source/Parker_Dam) and [Grand Coulee Dam](/source/Grand_Coulee_Dam) in the United States along with surveying for the future [Three Gorges Dam](/source/Three_Gorges_Dam) in China.[1] He was a member of the [National Academy of Sciences](/source/National_Academy_of_Sciences) and the recipient of numerous awards including the [John Fritz Medal](/source/John_Fritz_Medal).[2]

## Biography

### Early life

John L. Savage was born on December 25, 1879, in [Cooksville, Wisconsin](/source/Cooksville%2C_Wisconsin), to Edwin Parker and [Mary Therese (Stebbins) Savage](/source/Mary_Stebbins_Savage). Raised on a farm, Savage was involved in numerous chores and labor while attending grade school.[3] Interestingly, the [Savage House](/source/Savage_House_(Stoughton%2C_Wisconsin)) was not far from the [historic sawmill](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Rock_County%2C_Wisconsin) that village founder John Cook built in 1842 on the Badfish Creek outside of Cooksville. His mother's [father](/source/Harrison_Stebbins) also built a nearby watermill. Savage later attended the [Hillside Home School](/source/Hillside_Home_School_I) near [Spring Green, Wisconsin](/source/Spring_Green%2C_Wisconsin) (designed by [Frank Lloyd Wright](/source/Frank_Lloyd_Wright) in 1887) after he earned tuition and board for two years. Savage graduated from Madison High School, then attended the [University of Wisconsin](/source/University_of_Wisconsin). During the summer of his freshmen year he helped work on the Geological Survey of Wisconsin. During the summers of his sophomore and junior years, he conducted surveying with the [United States Geological Survey](/source/United_States_Geological_Survey). Savage graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1903 with a B.S. in [Civil Engineering](/source/Civil_Engineering).[2]

### Professional life

#### U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Idaho Division

In 1903, Savage took an engineering aid job with the [United States Bureau of Reclamation](/source/United_States_Bureau_of_Reclamation), [Idaho](/source/Idaho) Division. Before leaving that position in 1908, Savage worked on his first dam, the [Minidoka Project](/source/Minidoka_Dam). In Idaho, Savage also worked on the Payette-Boise Canal System, the [Boise River Diversion Dam](/source/Boise_River_Diversion_Dam) and the Upper and Lower Deer Flat Dams.[2]

#### A. J. Wiley Engineering Association

In 1908, after leaving the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Idaho Division, Savage began an eight-year association with A. J. Wiley, an engineer in [Boise, Idaho](/source/Boise%2C_Idaho). Their engineering practice boomed because of increased water use by the private sector for agriculture. Savage spent the majority of his time in the association inspecting and consulting on projects. During his time with Wiley, Savage worked on the [Salmon River](/source/Salmon_River_(Idaho)) Dam, the [Swan Falls Power Plant](/source/Swan_Falls_Dam) on the [Snake River](/source/Snake_River), the [Barber Dam](/source/Barber_Dam) on the [Boise River](/source/Boise_River), the Twin Falls North Side Canal System, and the [American Falls Power Plant](/source/American_Falls_Dam). Savage also designed the gates for the [Arrowrock Dam](/source/Arrowrock_Dam) on the [Boise River](/source/Boise_River).[2]

#### U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Chief Engineer Office

Savage and other engineers observing the Black Canyon; future Hoover Dam site.

After working with A.J. Wiley and buying a cattle ranch in Idaho, Savage returned to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in the office of the Chief Engineer. There he became the first designing engineer of the Bureau and later, between 1924 and 1945, served as the chief designing engineer in charge of all civil, electrical, and mechanical design. While in this position, Savage's supervisor, the Chief Engineer, allowed him to work in an independent capacity because of his abilities. With this, Savage was responsible for the designing of large projects, such as [Hoover Dam](/source/Hoover_Dam), [Parker Dam](/source/Parker_Dam), [Shasta Dam](/source/Shasta_Dam), the [All-American Canal](/source/All-American_Canal), and [Grand Coulee Dam](/source/Grand_Coulee_Dam).[2][4]

#### Official overseas consulting

Savage and Chinese Delegation, on Yangtze River, 1944

Savage's Proposal for the Yangtze River Gorge Dam, 1945

While with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Savage became a renowned expert on dams and civil engineering; he consulted in 19 countries on hundreds of projects. In 1938, the [Government of New South Wales](/source/Government_of_New_South_Wales) asked Savage to consult on the [Burrinjuck Dam](/source/Burrinjuck_Dam) in Australia after fears that the dam wall was unstable.[5][6][7] Initially, Savage was not allowed to go because of a U.S. law forbidding federal employees from accepting money from foreign powers. Savage refused any payments and offered his services anyway, writing his superiors: "Any assistance will be gratis and I shall not accept any reimbursement for expenses. An overdue vacation will be sufficient gratuity."[2]

After serving [Mexico](/source/Mexico), in 1941, the [United States Congress](/source/United_States_Congress) unanimously passed legislation allowing Savage to officially consult in India, Australia, and other countries. In Australia, Savage was consulted during the construction of the [Upper Yarra](/source/Upper_Yarra_Reservoir)[8] and [Warragamba](/source/Warragamba_Dam)[9] Dams. Savage consulted on several dams in Afghanistan for the purpose of irrigation.[2] In Switzerland, he consulted on the design and construction of the [Grande Dixence Dam](/source/Grande_Dixence_Dam). He also consulted on numerous projects in India, [Palestine](/source/Palestine_(region)) and Spain.[10]

In 1944, the [Chairman of the Nationalist Government of China](/source/President_of_the_Republic_of_China), [Chiang Kai-shek](/source/Chiang_Kai-shek) invited Savage to China, where he surveyed and designed his "dream dam". At the time, the project was known as the Yangtze Gorge Project and would help irrigate 10 million acres (40,000 km2) of land and control the [Yangtze River](/source/Yangtze_River), which was prone to deadly floods.[2][11] When Savage returned, he published his report titled "Yangtze Gorge and Tributary Project" in which he stated in the preface: "The Yangtze Gorge Project is a 'CLASSIC'." He also stated that it would bring employment and a higher standard of living in China. On June 3, 1946, the first of the dams he suggested, the Upper Tsing Yuan Tung, began but was halted on August 15, 1947, because of the [Chinese Civil War](/source/Chinese_Civil_War).[12] His dream, would be a reality almost 60 years later; standing as the [Three Gorges Dam](/source/Three_Gorges_Dam), one of the largest dams and supplying the largest power plant in the world.[2]

### Retirement

John L. Savage retired from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1945 but continued to consult in countries such as [Afghanistan](/source/Afghanistan), [South Africa](/source/South_Africa), India, [Singapore](/source/Singapore), [Formosa](/source/Formosa), Japan, [Mexico](/source/Mexico), Canada and Australia.[2]

#### Legacy

John L. Savage was known as an exemplary and diligent worker among his peers, often seeing engineering problems before they arose. Savage's peers often referred to him as the first "billion dollar" American engineer because of the costs of the projects he designed and supervised. He was also known by some as "Jack Dam" Savage. Savage never saw money as an object of his work and once said that he took pleasure in joining "enterprises that have as their objective the development of human relations."[2]

During Savage's 1945 John Fritz Medal award ceremony, the following was said: "Among Savage's major satisfactions is that of having seen the West grow and thrive as a result of the Bureau of Reclamation program for power and irrigation. Nearly 5,000,000 people—one out of every five living in the seventeen Western states—are dependent in one way or another on the facilities designed under his supervision."[2]

## Personal life

John L. Savage was married twice and never fathered any children. Savage first married Jessie Burdick Sexsmith on June 1, 1918, but she died on July 17, 1940. Savage's second marriage was to Olga Lacher Miner on January 14, 1950. Although childless, Savage helped fund several of his nieces and nephews through college. In addition, he brought home an orphaned child from his trip to China.[2]

John L. Savage died on December 28, 1967, in [Englewood, Colorado](/source/Englewood%2C_Colorado).[2]

## Contributions to civil engineering

When designing the Hoover Dam, Savage introduced artificially cooled mass [concrete](/source/Concrete), which dramatically reduced the setting time of concrete, allowing for faster construction. He also introduced the trial load method of arch analysis, which removed theorized and actual stresses in a finished structure. While designing the [Grand Coulee Dam](/source/Grand_Coulee_Dam), Savage and his assistants solved an engineering problem of "twists" by leaving 6-foot (1.8 m) gaps in a dam structure called "twist adjustment slots" in order to provide "give" as [hydrostatic pressure](/source/Hydrostatic_pressure) amounted on a concrete [dam](/source/Dam), preventing cracking.[2]

Savage and his associates developed methods and equipment that determined the stress on [penstocks](/source/Penstock) — pipes responsible for directly transferring water to [generators](/source/Electrical_generator) in [hydroelectricity](/source/Hydroelectricity) [power plants](/source/Power_plant). They also studied the behavior of concrete and rolled-earth dams as well as the seismic and land subsidence effects caused by the weight of large reservoirs.[2]

## Awards

### Education

- [Bachelor of Science](/source/Bachelor_of_Science), [Civil Engineering](/source/Civil_Engineering), [University of Wisconsin](/source/University_of_Wisconsin), 1903

#### Honorary degrees

- D.Sc., [University of Wisconsin](/source/University_of_Wisconsin), 1934

- D.Sc., [University of Denver](/source/University_of_Denver), 1946

- D.Eng., [University of Colorado](/source/University_of_Colorado_system), 1947[2]

### Professional

- Colorado Engineering Council's Gold Medal Award, 1937

- Gold Medal Award of the National Resources Commission of China, 1944

- [John Fritz Medal](/source/John_Fritz_Medal), 1945

- Henry C. Turner Gold Medal Award, 1946

- [Chi Epsilon](/source/Chi_Epsilon), 12th National Honor Member, 1946 [13]

- [National Academy of Sciences](/source/United_States_National_Academy_of_Sciences) Election, 1949

- [Washington Award](/source/Washington_Award), 1949

- U.S. Department of Interior Gold Medal Award, 1950

- Reclamation Hall of Fame, May 1950

- Popular Mechanics Hall of Fame, 1952

- "Order of Ching Hsin" (China), 1952[2]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Inventory of the John Lucian Savage papers, 1903-1961"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180607151259/https://rmoa.unm.edu/docviewer.php?docId=wyu-ah02852.xml). University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center. Archived from [the original](http://rmoa.unm.edu/docviewer.php?docId=wyu-ah02852.xml) on June 7, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2012.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-10) [***l***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-11) [***m***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-12) [***n***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-13) [***o***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-14) [***p***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-15) [***q***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-16) [***r***](#cite_ref-nasbio_2-17) Wolman, Abel; W. H. Lyles. ["John Lucian Savage Biography"](http://books.nap.edu/html/biomems/jsavage.pdf) (PDF). National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved December 22, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CSW_3-0)** Porter, Lillian Russell (1964). *Choice Seed in the Wilderness*. Rockland, Maine: Seth Low Press. p. 173.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Simonds, Joe. ["THE BOULDER CANYON PROJECT Hoover Dam"](https://www.usbr.gov/history/hoover.html). [U.S. Bureau of Reclamation](/source/U.S._Bureau_of_Reclamation). Retrieved September 14, 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["BURRINJUCK DAM"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2568428). *[The Canberra Times](/source/The_Canberra_Times)*. ACT: National Library of Australia. April 9, 1942. p. 3. Retrieved July 26, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [""HERALD" SATURDAY MAGAZINE"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18089948). *[The Sydney Morning Herald](/source/The_Sydney_Morning_Herald)*. National Library of Australia. February 5, 1949. p. 7. Retrieved July 26, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["PROJECTS OF GOOD WILL:John L Savage, Missionary Of Dam Construction"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103706665). *[Goulburn Evening Post](/source/Goulburn_Evening_Post)*. New South Wales, Australia. June 25, 1948. p. 7 (Daily and Evening). Retrieved March 4, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["DAM EXPERT FROM U.S."](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25931118) *[The Mercury](/source/The_Mercury_(Hobart))*. Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. December 5, 1941. p. 2. Retrieved July 26, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Aird_9-0)** Aird, W.V (1961). *The Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage of Sydney*. Sydney: M.W.S.&D.B. p. 109.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["John Lucian Savage, an ASCE Engineer, 1969"](http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?6999901). Retrieved December 23, 2009.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Chronology of Three Gorges Project"](http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/zt/sxgc/t36515.htm). Embassy of The People's Republic of China in The United States. Retrieved May 7, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["October The National Archives in the regions…a monthly calendar of events open to the public"](https://web.archive.org/web/20111020215122/http://archives.gov/locations/calendar/09-october.pdf) (PDF). U.S. National Archives. Archived from [the original](https://www.archives.gov/locations/calendar/09-october.pdf) (PDF) on October 20, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["National Honor Members"](https://www.chi-epsilon.org/national-honor-member-biographies/). Chi Epsilon. Retrieved November 13, 2024.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [John L. Savage](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:John_L._Savage).

- [John Lucian Savage – National Academy of Sciences Biography](https://www.nasonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/savage-john-l.pdf)

- [John Lucian Savage papers](https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv367840) at the [American Heritage Center](/source/American_Heritage_Center)

v t e John Fritz Medal 1902–1924 1902 : John Fritz 1903 : No award 1904 : No award 1905 : Lord Kelvin 1906 : George Westinghouse 1907 : Alexander Graham Bell 1908 : Thomas Alva Edison 1909 : Charles Talbot Porter 1910 : Alfred Noble 1911 : Sir William Henry White 1912 : Robert Woolston Hunt 1913 : No award 1914 : John Edson Sweet 1915 : James Douglas 1916 : Elihu Thomson 1917 : Henry Marion Howe 1918 : J. Waldo Smith 1919 : Gen. George W. Goethals 1920 : Orville Wright 1921 : Sir Robert Hadfield 1922 : Charles P. E. Schneider 1923 : Guglielmo Marconi 1924 : Ambrose Swasey 1925–1949 1925 : John Frank Stevens 1926 : Edward Dean Adams 1927 : Elmer Ambrose Sperry 1928 : John Joseph Carty 1929 : Herbert Clark Hoover 1930 : Ralph Modjeski 1931 : David Watson Taylor 1932 : Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin 1933 : Daniel Cowan Jackling 1934 : John Ripley Freeman (posthumous) 1935 : Frank Julian Sprague (posthumous) 1936 : William Frederick Durand 1937 : Arthur Newell Talbot 1938 : Paul Dyer Merica 1939 : Frank Baldwin Jewett 1940 : Clarence Floyd Hirshfeld (posthumous) 1941 : Ralph Budd 1942 : Everette Lee DeGolyer 1943 : Willis Rodney Whitney 1944 : Charles F. Kettering 1945 : John Lucian Savage 1946 : Zay Jeffries 1947 : Lewis Warrington Chubb 1948 : Theodore von Kármán 1949 : Charles Metcalf Allen 1950–1974 1950 : Walter H. Aldridge 1951 : Vannevar Bush 1952 : Ervin George Bailey 1953 : Benjamin F. Fairless 1954 : William Embry Wrather 1955 : Harry Alonzo Winne 1956 : Philip Sporn 1957 : Ben Moreell 1958 : John R. Suman 1959 : Mervin J. Kelly 1960 : Gwilym A. Price 1961 : Stephen D. Bechtel 1962 : Crawford H. Greenewalt 1963 : Hugh L. Dryden 1964 : Lucius D. Clay 1965 : Frederick Kappel 1966 : Warren K. Lewis 1967 : Walker L. Cisler 1968 : Igor Ivan Sikorsky 1969 : Michael Lawrence Haider 1970 : Glenn B. Warren 1971 : Patrick E. Haggerty 1972 : William Webster 1973 : Lyman Wilber 1974 : H. I. Romnes 1975–1999 1975 : Manson Benedict 1976 : Thomas O. Paine 1977 : George R. Brown 1978 : Robert G. Heitz 1979 : Nathan M. Newmark 1980 : T. Louis Austin, Jr. 1981 : Ian MacGregor 1982 : David Packard 1983 : Claude Elwood Shannon 1984 : Kenneth A. Roe 1985 : Daniel C. Drucker 1986 : Simon Ramo 1987 : Ralph Landau 1988 : Ralph B. Peck 1989 : Robert N. Noyce 1990 : Gordon A. Cain 1991 : Hunter Rouse 1992 : Serge Gratch 1993 : Gordon Moore 1994 : Hoyt C. Hottel 1995 : Lynn S. Beedle 1996 : George N. Hatsopoulos 1997 : Arthur E. Humphrey 1998 : Ivan A. Getting 1999 : George H. Heilmeier 2000–2024 2000 : John W. Fisher 2001 : Paul C. W. Chu 2002 : Daniel Goldin 2003 : Robert S. Langer 2004 : John A. Swanson 2005 : George Tamaro 2006 : No award 2007 : Gavriel Salvendy 2008 : Kristina M. Johnson 2009 : Yvonne Claeys Brill 2010 : Gerald J. Posakony 2011 : Andrew Viterbi 2012 : Leslie E. Robertson 2013 : Gregory Stephanopoulos 2014 : Julia Weertman 2015 : Jon D. Magnusson 2017 : Frank Kreith 2018 : Anne S. Kiremidjian 2019 : No award 2020 : No award 2021 : Elon Musk 2022 : No award 2023 : Asad M. Madni 2024 : Alan Bovik 2025– 2025: M. C. Frank Chang

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [John L. Savage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Savage) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Savage?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.