Elwood Mead

Elwood Mead (January 16, 1858 – January 26, 1936) was a professor, politician and engineer, known for heading the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) from 1924 until his death in 1936. During his tenure, he oversaw some of the most complex projects the Bureau of Reclamation has undertaken. These included the Hoover, Grand Coulee and Owyhee dams. Mead was born in Patriot, Indiana and graduated from Purdue with a Bachelor of Science in 1882. He then earned his Doctorate in Civil Engineering from Iowa State College a year later, in 1883. From there he started work as a professor by teaching mathematics at Colorado Agriculture College from 1883 until 1884, and again from 1886 to 1888. In 1888, Mead became the territorial and state engineer of...