death_date death_place birth_place image_size birth_date image article_title name
january 12 , 1885 rome , new york huntington , new york 187px december 14 , 1795 john b. jervis.jpg john b. jervis
 john bloomfield jervis
john b. jervis

john bloomfield jervis -lrb- december 14 , 1795 -- january 12 , 1885 -rrb- was an american civil engineer .
america 's leading consulting engineer of the antebellum era -lrb- 1820 -- 60 -rrb- , jervis designed and supervised the construction of five of america 's earliest railroads , was chief engineer of three major canal projects , designed the first locomotive to run in america , designed and built the 41-mile croton aqueduct -- new york city 's fresh water supply from 1842 to 1891 -- and was a consulting engineer for the boston water system .
