| Robert Heysham Sayre | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 13, 1824 Bloomsburg Columbia County Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 4, 1907 (aged 82) South Bethlehem Northampton County Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Civil engineer Industrialist Executive |
| Spouse | Mary Evelyn Smith Mary Bradford Helen Augusta Packer Martha Finley Nevin |
| Children | Charles White Sayre Mary Eliza Sayre Anna Catherine Sayre Robert Heysham Sayre, Jr. Elizabeth Kent Sayre Jennie Weston Sayre Francis Rodolphus Sayre Ellen May Sayre Ruth May Sayre John Nevin Sayre Francis Bowes Sayre Cecil Nevin Sayre |
| Parents | William Heysham Sayre Elizabeth Kent |
Robert Heysham Sayre (1824–1907) was vice president and chief engineer of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. He was also vice president and general manager of Bethlehem Iron Works, precursor of Bethlehem Steel Corporation. The town of Sayre, Pennsylvania was named in his honor.[1]
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Sayre was born on October 13, 1824 to William Heysham Sayre and Elizabeth Kent, his wife, on the Kent family's farm near Bloomsburg in rural Columbia County, Pennsylvania. In 1828, the Sayre family moved to Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe), Pennsylvania where William worked for the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company as a lockmaster. Young Robert showed an early interest in construction and civil engineering.[2]
Sayre's first significant work in engineering was on the Morris Canal in New Jersey. He also participated in the surveys and construction for the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway.
In 1854, Sayre was named Chief Engineer of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and he led the extension of that railroad northward and westward through Pennsylvania and New York State.[3]
Sayre was one of the founders of the Bethlehem Iron Works, later the Bethlehem Steel Company. He was responsible for the design and construction of the company's first iron works during the years 1861 through 1863.[4] He became Vice President in 1891.
Sayre built a large house in Bethlehem and lived in it from 1858 until his death in 1907. Currently his house is known as the Sayre Mansion, and is in use as a bed-and-breakfast. [5]
Sayre was a trustee of St. Luke's Hospital and a Charter Trustee of Lehigh University.[6]
Sayre Observatory at Lehigh is named after him.[7]