Washington Augustus Roebling II (1881-1912)
Washington Roebling was the son of Charles Roebling, prominent engineer and co-builder of the Brooklyn Bridge. At a young age Washington excelled in engineering, taking an interest in the fledgling automobile industry. After graduating from college with several engineering degrees he worked for Walker Automobile which would later become the Mercer Automobile Company. While working for Mercer, Roebling designed and built two automobiles, the Roebling-Planche race car and his Roebling Flat touring car.
In 1911, driving his Planche Racer, Roebling attended and finished second in the Great Savannah Race, also called the Vanderbuilt Cup. It is widely thought that the Vanderbuilt Cup of 1911 was attended by Louis Chevrolet and was judged by Henry Ford. The following year, joined by his friend Stephen Blackwell, he took the Roebling Flat touring car on a whirlwind tour of Europe. The Flat was loaded onto a ship and brought back to the United States but Washington stayed behind for a few extra weeks having booked passage home as a first class passenger on the Titanic.
On the night of April 14, 1912, R.M.S. Titanic struck an iceberg. The last reported sighting of Washington Augustus Roebling was from a female passenger who stated that Mr. Roebling and Mr. Blackwell had helped her onto a lifeboat. The body of Washington Roebling was never found.