Fulgence Bienvenüe

Fulgence Bienvenüe was a noted French civil engineer, best known for his role in the construction of the Paris Métro, and has been called "Le Père du Métro".: 162 A native of Uzel in Brittany, and the son of a notary, in 1872 Bienvenüe graduated from the École Polytechnique as a civil engineer: 150  and the same year he began working for the Department of Bridges and Roads at Alençon.: 150  His first assignment was the construction of new railway lines in the Mayenne area, in the course of which his left arm had to be amputated after being crushed in a construction accident.

In 1886, Bienvenüe moved on to Paris to design and supervise the construction of aqueducts for the city, drawing water from the rivers Aube and Loire.: 151  Next, he built a cable railway near the Place de la République and created the park of Buttes-Chaumont.: 151  In 1891, he was appointed as Engineer-in-Chief for Bridges and Roads, the most prestigious engineering job in France.: 151 Paris city officials…