Person

Davis, Joseph (1854 - 1932)

Born
3 November 1854
Oldbury, Worcestershire, England
Died
20 January 1932
Dulwich, Middlesex, England
Occupation
Civil engineer

Summary

Joseph Davis was Director-general of the Department of Public Works, New South Wales 1912 until 1917. From 1883 when he arrived in Australia, he was a leading engineer in the design and construction of the sewerage systems for Sydney.

Davis served on many key State and Commonwealth enquiries and boards, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge Advisory Board; the royal commission on Sydney water-supply; the interstate royal commission on the River Murray, the royal commissions on the Working of the Government Dockyard and Workshops; and the royal commission on the Boundaries of Local Government Areas.

He also served on the River Murray commission 1916 to 1917; reported to the Commonwealth government on a sewerage system for Canberra, and on the small arms factory at Lithgow, and to the Western Australian government on a sewerage system for Perth.

After he retired to London in 1917, as a consulting engineer for New South Wales, he was responsible for approving all the steel manufactured in Great Britain for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as electrical equipment and rolling stock for Sydney's suburban railways.

Details

Chronology

1872 - 1873
Career position - Engineering pupillage [Under Colliery owner Elijah Davis - his father]
1874 - 1875
Career position - Engineering pupillage, Dudley [Under William North and Sons, consulting engineers]
1876 - 1879
Career position - Resident engineer, Park Lane Ironworks, Oldbury [mining works including railways, bridges, buildings, mining machinery, hydraulic works. Under Jacob Forrest MInstCE]
1880 - 1883
Career position - Resident engineer, Dudley sewerage works, Worcestershire [Under H. J. Marten, MInstCE, and G. J. C. Broom, MInstCE, FRS]
1883
Life event - Migrated to Australia
1885 - 1888
Career position - Resident engineer, Bondi main sewer, Department of Public Works, New South Wales [Under D. C. McMordie, MInstCE, Divisional Engineer]
1889
Career event - Associate Member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1889 - 1895
Career position - Supervising engineer, Sewerage Construction, Department of Public Works, New South Wales [Under
1891
Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1895 - 1896
Career position - Principal Assistant Engineer, Water Supply and Sewerage, Department of Public Works, New South Wales
1896 - 1901
Career position - Principal Assistant Engineer, Metropolitan Sewerage Construction, Department of Public Works, New South Wales
1897 - 1899
Career position - Acting Government Architect, Department of Public Works, New South Wales
1900
Career event - Member (MIMechE), Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London
1901
Career position - Chairman, Sydney Harbour Bridge Advisory Board
1901 - 1907
Career position - Under-secretary, Department of Public Works, New South Wales
1902
Career position - President of the "Interstate Royal Commission on the River Murray"
1902
Award - Telford Premium, Institution of Civil Engineers, London - for 'The Sewerage Systems of Sydney, N.S.W., and its Suburbs'
1902 - 1903
Career position - President, Inter-State Royal Commission on the River Murray
1902 - 1904
Career position - Chairman, Royal Commission on Sydney Water Supply
1905
Career position - Prepared a report on the sewerage system for Perth
1906 - 1908
Career position - Member of Council in Australia, Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1907 - 1912
Career position - Consulting and inspecting engineer, Agent-General's Office, London
1908
Career position - Arranged the New South Wales court, Franco-British Exhibition, London
1912 - 1917
Career position - Director-general, Department of Public Works Department, New South Wales
1914 - 1916
Career position - Member of Council in Australia, Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1916
Career position - Prepared a report on the sewerage system for Canberra
1916 - 1917
Career position - Representative of New South Wales, Murray River Commission
1917
Life event - Retired
1917
Career position - Consulting engineer to the New South Wales government, in London.

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Ken McInnes

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