Siess, Chester Paul (1916-2004) | University of Illinois Archives

Chester Paul Siess (1916-2004) was born in Alexandria, Louisiana and received his bachelor's degree in 1936 from Louisana State University. Following graduation, he worked for the highway department's statewide highway planning survey and later, spent a year on the LSU campus in a soils laboratory. Following his employment with the highway department, he received an assistantship at the University of Illinois for two years to pursue a graduate degree. He completed his master's in 1939 in structural engineering. After graduation, he worked in Chicago for the Chicago Department of Subways and Supherhighways in the Soils Laboratory. In 1941, he worked in the Bridge Office of the New York Central. He was then offered a job at the University of Illinois, where he worked in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. During his time with TAM, he made progress towards a PhD, completing his doctorate in 1948 in structural engineering. In 1949, he began working in the Department of Civil Engineering and became a full professor of Civil Engineering in 1955. From 1973 to 1978, he served as department head. He retired in 1978 and was appointed professor emeritus.

Dr. Siess was active in several professional organizations, including the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He was awarded honorary membership in ACI in 1969 and served as president from 1974-1975. He served on Committee 318 from 1953-1997. The committee was responsible for creating the Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete. He presented papers throughout his career at conferences not only in the United States, but also in Mexico, Sweden, Canada, and Peru.