Thomas Telford (1757-1834), Scottish civil engineer. Telford was appointed Surveyor of Public Works for Shropshire, England in 1786, where he built many buildings and bridges, including three over the River Severn. Whilst working for the Ellesmere Canal Company, he built two aqueducts over the Ceiriog and Dee valleys in Wales, and in 1803 was appointed by the government to develop roads, canals and bridges in the Scottish Highlands. Between 1819 and 1826 Telford designed and supervised the construction of a suspension bridge over the Menai Straits in Wales. He was the first president of the Institution of Civil Engineers.