John W . F . Bennett John W . F . Bennett ( c . 1875 – August 30 , 1943 ) was an American civil engineer and football player . He played football for the University of Michigan from 1896 to 1898 . As a civil engineer , he supervised the construction of important buildings in New York and London , including the Algonquin Hotel in New York and the Ritz and Waldorf Hotel s in London . Biography . Early years . Bennett was born in Chicago in approximately1875 . His father , John Wesley Bennett ( 1837 – 1920 ) , was a lawyer in Chicago who had served as a lieutenant colonel in the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War . In 1885 , the family moved to Austin , Illinois , which was then a sparsely settled suburb of Chicago . Bennett played football at Austin High School . University of Michigan . After graduating from high school , Bennett enrolled at the University of Michigan . He played for the Michigan Wolverines football and track teams for three years . He played football at the guard position in 1896 and at end in 1897 and 1898 . He was the captain of the 1898 team that won the school ' s first Western Conference championship with an undefeated , untied record of 10 – 0 . At the time of his election as the Michigan team captain , the " Detroit Free Press " wrote : " Bennett is a Michigan player through and through , and his rise to his present position of prominence in football circles came by steady , hard work . " He graduated from Michigan in 1899 with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering . Bennett remained active in University of Michigan affairs in his later years . He was the president of the University of Michigan Club from 1917 to 1918 . He also served as president of the " M " Club , the organization of Michigan ' s varsity letter winners , from 1939 to 1941 . In 1943 , he was elected president of the Touchdown Club of America . Engineering career . Bennett worked for the Thompson - Starrett Company in New York from 1901 to 1904 . During these years , he supervised the construction of the St . Regis and Algonquin Hotel s in New York and a factory for Bailey Banks and Biddle , jewelers , in Philadelphia . From 1904 to 1909 , Bennett worked for the Waring - White Building Company of London , England . During this time , he supervised the construction of the Ritz Hotel , the Waldorf Hotel , the Morning Post Building , three London Underground stations , the Liverpool Cotton Exchange and the Lancaster Town Hall . Bennett returned to New York in 1910 and served as the New York City Deputing and Acting Commissioner of Water Supply . In that position , he advised the city on engineering matters arising out of the water department ' s $ 10 million annual budget . From 1914 to 1918 , Bennett was a consulting engineer working for the president of the Borough of Bronx . During World War I , Bennett served in the United States Army . He was a major in the Quartermaster Corps and supervised the construction of a supply base in Brooklyn , New York . After being discharged from the Army , Bennett worked for the American Sugar Refining Company from 1919 to 1923 . He was chairman of the company ' s engineering consulting board and oversaw the construction of the company ' s refinery in Baltimore , Maryland . In 1924 , Bennett was hired by the engineering and construction firm , Stevens & Wood , Inc . He was a vice president of the company from 1924 to 1930 . Family and death . In his later years , Bennett lived at 1105 Park Avenue in New York . His wife , Harriet Connable Bennett , died in 1941 . Bennett died at his Park Avenue home in 1943 at age 68 . He was survived by his son John Connable Bennett , who was serving in the U . S . Army Air Forces at the time . His grandson , John C . Bennett , Jr . , was living with Bennett at the time of Bennett ' s death .