George Washington Goethals
George Washington Goethals was a United States Army officer and civil engineer, best known for his administration and supervision of the construction and the opening of the Panama Canal. The Goethals Bridge between Staten Island, New York City and Elizabeth, New Jersey is named in his honor, as is the Goethals Medal and the troop ship USNS160George W. Goethals160.
Goethals was born in Brooklyn, New York to Flemish immigrants from Stekene, Belgium Johannes Baptista Goethals, a carpenter, and wife Marie Le Barron. Aged 14, he entered the College of the City of New York. In April 1876, after three years of college, he won an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated second in his class in 1880, and was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers
Source: Wikipedia