Howe, William

William Howe, (born May 12, 1803, Spencer, Mass., U.S.—died Sept. 19, 1852, Springfield, Mass.), U.S. inventor who pioneered in the development of truss bridges in the U.S.

An uncle of Elias Howe, the sewing-machine inventor, William Howe farmed until 1838, the year he was engaged to build a bridge for the Boston and Albany Railroad at Warren, Mass. He made major alterations in previous truss designs and in 1840 received two patents for the Howe truss. After he built a bridge over the Connecticut River at Springfield, his truss proved so successful that henceforth he was primarily a bridge builder. His truss, with wooden diagonal members and iron vertical ties, was the most popular bridge design in the U.S. during the last half of the 19th century. In 1842 he obtained a patent for an improvement in the Howe truss, incorporating a curved timber extending from each buttress to the centre of the truss.