Claudius Crozet
Claude "Claudius" Crozet (December 31, 1789 – January 29, 1864) was a soldier, educator, and civil engineer.
Claudius Crozet | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 31, 1789 |
| Died | January 29, 1864 (aged 74) Virginia, Confederate States of America |
| Occupation(s) | Civil engineer, Educator |
| Known for | Chief engineer of the Virginia Board of Public Works, including the Blue Ridge Railroad |
Crozet was born in France and trained as an artillery officer and civil engineer. After the defeat of Napoleon's army, he emigrated to the United States in 1816 and joined the U.S. Army to teach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
After resigning his commission in 1823, he took a job with the Virginia Board of Public Works and oversaw the planning and construction of canals, turnpikes, bridges and railroads in Virginia, including the area which became West Virginia during the American Civil War (during which Crozet sided with the Confederate States of America). Crozet also helped found the Virginia Military Institute in 1839 and earned a nickname as the "Pathfinder of the Blue Ridge."