Betancourt y Molina

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Agustín de Betancourt y Molina was a prominent Spanish engineer born in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, who worked in Spain, France and Russia. His work ranged from steam engines and balloons to structural engineering and urban planning. As an educator, Betancourt founded and managed the Spanish Corps of Engineers and the Saint Petersburg Institute of Communications Engineers. As an urban planner and construction manager, Betancourt supervised planning and construction in Saint Petersburg, Kronstadt, Nizhny Novgorod and other Russian cities. In 1797, Betancourt’s achievements were rewarded with the positions of Chief Inspector of Ports and Communications in Spain, Chief of the Corps of Engineers of the Spanish military, and other important assignments. In 1802, he founded Spain’s first engineering college, the School of the Corps of Engineers, and managed the institution until 1807.