{{Short description|American civil engineer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = John L. Savage | image = JohnLSavageBOR.jpg | image_size = | caption = John L. Savage | birth_date = {{Birth date|1879|12|25}} | birth_place = [[Cooksville, Wisconsin]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|1967|12|28|1879|12|25}} | death_place = [[Englewood, Colorado]] | occupation = [[Civil engineer]] | awards = [[John Fritz Medal]] {{small|(1945)}}<br>[[Washington Award]] {{small|(1949)}} | spouse = Jessie Burdick Sexsmith, Olga Lacher Miner }} '''John Lucian Savage''' (December 25, 1879 – December 28, 1967) was an American [[civil engineer]]. Among the 60 major dams he supervised the designs for, he is best known for [[Hoover Dam]], [[Shasta Dam]], [[Parker Dam]] and [[Grand Coulee Dam]] in the United States along with surveying for the future [[Three Gorges Dam]] in China.<ref>{{cite web|title=Inventory of the John Lucian Savage papers, 1903-1961|url=http://rmoa.unm.edu/docviewer.php?docId=wyu-ah02852.xml|publisher=University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center|accessdate=7 May 2012|archive-date=7 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180607151259/https://rmoa.unm.edu/docviewer.php?docId=wyu-ah02852.xml|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was a member of the [[National Academy of Sciences]] and the recipient of numerous awards including the [[John Fritz Medal]].<ref name=nasbio>{{cite web|last=Wolman|first=Abel|title=John Lucian Savage Biography|url=http://books.nap.edu/html/biomems/jsavage.pdf|publisher=National Academy of Sciences|accessdate=22 December 2009|author2=W. H. Lyles}}</ref>
==Biography==
===Early life===
John L. Savage was born on December 25, 1879, in [[Cooksville, Wisconsin]], to Edwin Parker and [[Mary Stebbins Savage|Mary Therese (Stebbins) Savage]]. Raised on a farm, Savage was involved in numerous chores and labor while attending grade school.<ref name="CSW">{{cite book |last1=Porter |first1=Lillian Russell |title=Choice Seed in the Wilderness |date=1964 |publisher=Seth Low Press |location=Rockland, Maine |page=173}}</ref> Interestingly, the [[Savage House (Stoughton, Wisconsin)|Savage House]] was not far from the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Rock County, Wisconsin|historic sawmill]] that village founder John Cook built in 1842 on the Badfish Creek outside of Cooksville. His mother's [[Harrison Stebbins|father]] also built a nearby watermill. Savage later attended the [[Hillside Home School I|Hillside Home School]] near [[Spring Green, Wisconsin]] (designed by [[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]]. 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]]. Savage graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1903 with a B.S. in [[Civil Engineering]].<ref name="nasbio"/>
===Professional life===
====U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Idaho Division====
In 1903, Savage took an engineering aid job with the [[United States Bureau of Reclamation]], [[Idaho]] Division. Before leaving that position in 1908, Savage worked on his first dam, the [[Minidoka Dam|Minidoka Project]]. In Idaho, Savage also worked on the Payette-Boise Canal System, the [[Boise River Diversion Dam]] and the Upper and Lower Deer Flat Dams.<ref name="nasbio"/>
====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]]. 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 (Idaho)|Salmon River]] Dam, the [[Swan Falls Dam|Swan Falls Power Plant]] on the [[Snake River]], the [[Barber Dam]] on the [[Boise River]], the Twin Falls North Side Canal System, and the [[American Falls Dam|American Falls Power Plant]]. Savage also designed the gates for the [[Arrowrock Dam]] on the [[Boise River]].<ref name="nasbio"/>
====U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Chief Engineer Office==== [[File:SavageBlackCanyon.jpg|thumb|right|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]], [[Parker Dam]], [[Shasta Dam]], the [[All-American Canal]], and [[Grand Coulee Dam]].<ref name="nasbio"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Simonds|first=Joe|title=THE BOULDER CANYON PROJECT Hoover Dam|url=http://www.usbr.gov/history/hoover.html|publisher=[[U.S. Bureau of Reclamation]]|accessdate=14 September 2010}}</ref>
====Official overseas consulting==== [[File:JohnLSavageChina.jpg|thumb|right|Savage and Chinese Delegation, on Yangtze River, 1944]] [[File:JohnLSavageOriginalYangtzeDam.jpg|thumb|right|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]] asked Savage to consult on the [[Burrinjuck Dam]] in Australia after fears that the dam wall was unstable.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2568428 |title=BURRINJUCK DAM. |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |location=ACT |date=9 April 1942 |accessdate=26 July 2011 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18089948 |title="HERALD" SATURDAY MAGAZINE. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=5 February 1949 |accessdate=26 July 2011 |page=7 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103706665 |title=PROJECTS OF GOOD WILL:John L Savage, Missionary Of Dam Construction |newspaper=[[Goulburn Evening Post]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=25 June 1948 |accessdate=4 March 2017 |page=7 (Daily and Evening) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> 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."<ref name="nasbio"/>
After serving [[Mexico]], in 1941, the [[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 Reservoir|Upper Yarra]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25931118 |title=DAM EXPERT FROM U.S. |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |location=Hobart, Tas. |date=5 December 1941 |accessdate=26 July 2011 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and [[Warragamba Dam|Warragamba]]<ref name="Aird">{{cite book|last=Aird|first=W.V|title=The Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage of Sydney|year=1961|publisher=M.W.S.&D.B.|location=Sydney|page=109}}</ref> Dams. Savage consulted on several dams in Afghanistan for the purpose of irrigation.<ref name="nasbio"/> In Switzerland, he consulted on the design and construction of the [[Grande Dixence Dam]]. He also consulted on numerous projects in India, [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and Spain.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?6999901 |title=John Lucian Savage, an ASCE Engineer, 1969 |access-date=2009-12-23 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707233105/http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?6999901 |archive-date=2012-07-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 1944, the [[President of the Republic of China|Chairman of the Nationalist Government of China]], [[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 {{convert|10|e6acre|km2}} of land and control the [[Yangtze River]], which was prone to deadly floods.<ref name="nasbio"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Chronology of Three Gorges Project|url=http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/zt/sxgc/t36515.htm|publisher=Embassy of The People's Republic of China in The United States|accessdate=7 May 2012}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web|title=October The National Archives in the regions…a monthly calendar of events open to the public|url=https://www.archives.gov/locations/calendar/09-october.pdf|publisher=U.S. National Archives|accessdate=14 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020215122/http://archives.gov/locations/calendar/09-october.pdf|archive-date=20 October 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> His dream, would be a reality almost 60 years later; standing as the [[Three Gorges Dam]], one of the largest dams and supplying the largest power plant in the world.<ref name="nasbio"/>
===Retirement===
John L. Savage retired from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1945 but continued to consult in countries such as [[Afghanistan]], [[South Africa]], India, [[Singapore]], [[Formosa]], Japan, [[Mexico]], Canada and Australia.<ref name="nasbio"/>
====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."<ref name="nasbio"/>
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."<ref name="nasbio"/>
== 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.<ref name="nasbio"/>
John L. Savage died on December 28, 1967, in [[Englewood, Colorado]].<ref name="nasbio"/>
==Contributions to civil engineering==
When designing the Hoover Dam, Savage introduced artificially cooled mass [[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]], Savage and his assistants solved an engineering problem of "twists" by leaving {{convert|6|ft|m|adj=on}} gaps in a dam structure called "twist adjustment slots" in order to provide "give" as [[hydrostatic pressure]] amounted on a concrete [[dam]], preventing cracking.<ref name="nasbio"/>
Savage and his associates developed methods and equipment that determined the stress on [[penstock]]s — pipes responsible for directly transferring water to [[Electrical generator|generators]] in [[hydroelectricity]] [[power plant]]s. 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.<ref name="nasbio"/>
==Awards==
===Education=== *[[Bachelor of Science]], [[Civil Engineering]], [[University of Wisconsin]], 1903
====Honorary degrees==== *D.Sc., [[University of Wisconsin]], 1934 *D.Sc., [[University of Denver]], 1946 *D.Eng., [[University of Colorado system|University of Colorado]], 1947<ref name="nasbio"/>
===Professional=== *Colorado Engineering Council's Gold Medal Award, 1937 *Gold Medal Award of the National Resources Commission of China, 1944 *[[John Fritz Medal]], 1945 *Henry C. Turner Gold Medal Award, 1946 *[[Chi Epsilon]], 12th National Honor Member, 1946 <ref>{{cite web |title=National Honor Members |url=https://www.chi-epsilon.org/national-honor-member-biographies/ |publisher=Chi Epsilon |access-date=13 November 2024}}</ref> *[[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences]] Election, 1949 *[[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<ref name="nasbio"/>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} *[https://www.nasonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/savage-john-l.pdf John Lucian Savage – National Academy of Sciences Biography] *[https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv367840 John Lucian Savage papers] at the [[American Heritage Center]]
{{John Fritz Medal|state=collapsed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, John L.}} [[Category:1879 births]] [[Category:1967 deaths]] [[Category:American civil engineers]] [[Category:American canal engineers]] [[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering alumni]] [[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences]] [[Category:Hoover Dam]] [[Category:People from Porter, Wisconsin]] [[Category:United States Bureau of Reclamation personnel]] [[Category:John Fritz Medal recipients]] [[Category:Engineers from Wisconsin]] [[Category:Three Gorges Dam]]