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Transportation Pioneers and Innovators
An Introduction to Influential Individuals
C. Douglass Buck (1890-1965)
As Chief Engineer for the Highway Department from 1921 until 1929, C. Douglass Buck established a snow removal program, a
volunteer state highway police force, restrictions on truck weight loads, and safer railroad crossings. Much
of his tenure as Chief Engineer was spent advancing the State-Aid Program, through which the state and the individual
counties jointly funded new highways. Additionally, Buck was known for being a strong advocate for the implementation
of a gasoline tax in order to secure highway funds.
Coleman duPont (1863-1930)
Truly a visionary, Coleman duPont realized early on the crucial role highways
would play in Delaware’s development. In 1911, duPont gained the legislative approval necessary in order to
fulfill his goal of providing the state with a north-south highway running from Wilmington to the Maryland line.
Completed in 1924, the duPont Highway served as the first effective link between northern and southern Delaware
and is still the greatest personal gift in the history of highway development.
Francis V. duPont (1894-1962)
Francis V. duPont served as chairman of the Highway Commission for 24 years,
from 1925 until 1949. As chairman during a period of rapid highway development unparalleled by any time before or
since, duPont supervised the widening of secondary roads and the dualization of U.S. 13 from Wilmington to Dover.
Most notably, duPont oversaw the design and construction of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, at the time the sixth
largest suspension bridge in existence and now the largest twin suspension bridge in the world.
Hyland P. George (1891-1954)
One of the most influential figures in the development of Delaware's highways
from 1923 until his death in 1954, Hyland P. George led his contracting firm, George and Lynch Inc., to become
one of the most dominant in Delaware. The wide variety of projects his firm undertook include the widening and
resurfacing of U.S. 113, the dualization of U.S. 13 south of Dover, and the construction of the Mispillion Bridge
in Milford. George's firm, still a major player in the construction scene today, holds the distinction of being
directly responsible for the construction of many of the state's most important highways.
John R. Hitchens (1895-1971)
As Sussex County Division Engineer for 20 years (1920-1940), John
R. Hitchens played an integral role in the development of highways through the most rural of Delaware's counties.
In addition to impacting Delaware's highway system through his public service, Hitchens also ran a private contracting
firm, John R. Hitchens Inc., which contributed greatly to the development of Delaware's highways via the private
sector.
Samuel Knopf (1899-1944)
The first person hired by Chief Engineer Charles Upham upon creation
of the Highway Department in 1917, Samuel Knopf would devote the next 27 years of his life to public service.
In addition to serving as an engineer and draftsman for some of the Department's earliest projects, Knopf is also
remembered as a pioneer in advancing ecological and environmental concerns at a time in which these issues were rarely addressed.
Warren W. Mack (1880-1966)
Warren W. Mack spent more years as Chief Engineer than any other individual
in the fifty-eight year existence of the Highway Department. Named to the position in 1929, Mack spent the next nineteen
years supervising such projects as the dualization of U.S. 13 and the widening of Philadelphia Pike. In addition
to leading the Highway Department through both the Great Depression and World War II, Mack also is responsible
for advancing tourism by providing access to the state's beaches.
J. Gordon Smith (1892-1975)
J. Gordon Smith, chairman of the Highway Commission for much of
the 1950s, dedicated 22 years to public service. Though most well known for his involvement in the construction
of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, Smith also oversaw the first stages in the development of a Delaware Interstate
Highway System. Additionally, Smith set up an "Open Door" policy for commission meetings, and advocated the allocating
of funds to counties based on population, area, and system mileage.
John G. Townsend Jr. (1871-1964)
During his tenure as governor (1917-21), John G. Townsend Jr. played
a leading role in the development of the young Highway Department. Serving as chairman at the very first highway
commissioner meeting in 1917, Townsend's determined efforts would later prove to be key in securing the necessary
right-of-way to complete construction of the duPont Highway. Most lastingly, Townsend is remembered as the individual
who initiated motor vehicle taxes and, by appointing two traffic policemen to patrol Philadelphia Pike, first formed
a State Police force.
Howard P. Wilson (1904-)
Under the leadership of Howard P. Wilson, the Wilson Contracting
Company was responsible for the completion of much of Delaware's current Interstate system. As the firm responsible
for much of the construction of I-495, Wilson's company became widely known as an innovator in the field of roadway
construction. His firm was the first to use bulk cement, pour a mile of 24-foot-wide concrete, and utilize a central
paving plant.
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