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WILLIAM HENRY MUESER
1 900-1 985
BY RICHARD H. TATLOW III AND
ANTON TEDESKO
WILLIAM H. MUESER, a worId-renowned civil engineer and
partner of Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers, was born
in New York City April 10, 1900, and died in Charlottesville,
Virginia, on June 25, 1985. He was elected a member of
the National Academy of Engineering in ~ 978. Mr. Mueser
was a constructionman's engineer, always ready to roll up
his sleeves and go to work. He was as comfortable making
technical decisions on complicated design problems as he
was plunging into a construction problem in the field. He
used the science of engineering as a too} to supplement his
own practical experience covering more than fifty years in
the heavy construction field. In addition to knowledge
and experience, he was that rare individual who brought
creative imagination and versatility to bear on each problem.
These qualities, combined with total dedication to his pro-
fession, resulted in outstanding contributions over the years
to the art and science of foundation engineering.
Bill Mueser came from a family of engineers. His father
was a pioneer in reinforced concrete construction in the
IS9Os and the early part of this century, his specialty being
the design of concrete bridges throughout the country. Bill
was raised in New York City and spent his career there. He
attended DeWitt Clinton High School and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), obtaining his B.S. in civil
259
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260
MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
engineering in 1922. Bill did graduate work at the Technische
Hochschule in Berlin, Germany, in 1922 and 1923. His
devotion to MIT continued from his first association. He
was vice-president of his class from graduation until his
retirement and for many years his service included interviewing
candidates for admission to the Institute. On the comple-
tion of his engineering studies in October 1923, he joined
the staff of Moran, Maurice & Proctor, predecessor firm to
Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers. His first assignment
was the deep foundation construction for the BarcIay-Vesey
Building of the New York Telephone Company. This was
followed by many deep foundations in lower Manhattan,
such as for the Chase Manhattan Bank headquarters, the
addition to the New York Stock Exchange at 20 Broad Street,
and land construction for the $~.] billion Battery Park City
complex of office and apartment buildings. He pioneered
in replacing the expensive compressed air caissons with
creep open foundations for major buildings and bridges
throughout the United States. Examples are Nos. I, 2, and
99 Wall Street.
Bill Mueser became a partner in the firm in 1936, han-
dling major projects for the firm until his retirement in
1975 after fifty-two years of service. At the start of World
War II he was the partner assigned to represent the firm in
the Dry~ock Engineers, a combination of four firms assemblecl
to carry cut the design of major graving docks for the U.S.
Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks. He was involved in the
design and construction of many Shylocks, including the
one at Bremerton, Washington, which was the worId's deepest
and largest in volume of ship space. This dock has a length
of 1,152 feet, a width of ISS feet, and a depth of 53 feet
below high tide.
He was a partner in Pardo Proctor, Freeman & Mueser,
Caracas, Venezuela, from 1944 to 1951.
Deep foundations for bridges were a major part of his
firm's work during Bill's long association and leadership.
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WILLIAM HENRY MUESER
261
Some of the interesting jobs were the specially designed
pneumatic caissons for the San Francisco Bay Bridge (240
feet deep); the Huey P. Long Bridge in New Orleans; the
Bronx-Whitestone in New York City; the Tacoma Narrows
Bridge in Washington; and the Rapids Bridge, Quebec, Canada.
His later work included bridge foundations for the Delaware
River Crossing of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, as well as bridges
and earthwork designs for sections of the Indiana Toll Road
and Delaware Interstate Highway.
Bill was the author of a great many engineering reports
on foundation and soil problems as they related to construction
projects. All were carefully and uniquely thought out, and
each acided to his outstanding reputation.
Bill Mueser was particularly proud of his work on a number
of public projects. Among these were the underpinning of
the East Front of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.,
the firm's participation as general soils consultant for the
Washington Metro subway, foundation design for the United
Nations Secretariat and General Assembly Buildings in New
York City, and the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York.
He was a registered Professional Engineer in seventeen
states and active in the New York Planning Board. He was
also a member of The Moles, American Arbitration Association
Panel, American Concrete Institute, American Institute of
Consulting Engineers (past vice-president, council), American
Road Builders Association, American Society of Testing
Materials, Boston Society of Civil Engineers, Concrete Industry
Board, Engineers"Joint Council (past member Engineering
Manpower Commission), Society of American Military En-
gineers, U.S. National Council on Soil Mechanics & Foundation
Engineering, and New York Building Congress (governor).
He received the Metropolitan Section's "Engineer of the
Year" Award in 1958 and the Moles' Member Award in 1975.
He was also named an honorary member of the American
Society of Civil Engineers, that society's highest honor.
Bill Mueser was married on April 2l, 1925, to the late
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
Edna M. Meyer and they lived in Bedford Village, Ne
York, where they enjoyed a happy and busy life. They were
active in church work and always contributed to worthy
causes. They had four children: Cary} Adele, William Henry,
Robert Ranson, and Gayle Evelyn (Mrs. Arthur Schulman).
Bill, Jr. and Robert are engineers, following their own ca-
· .
reers In construction.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
consulting engineers
