John A. Ockerson Papers, 1869-1873, 1904, 1923 | University of Illinois Archives

John Augustus Ockerson (1848-1924) (B.S., 1873, C.E./M.S., unknown year, Doctor of Engineering, 1903) was, according to his matriculation cerficate, the 196th student to enroll at the University of Illinois (then called Illinois Industrial University) when he did so in 1869.  In the course of his studies, he was one of the University students who traveled to Chicago to provide security and assistance in the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1871.

After graduation, he had a long and successful career as an engineer, assisting in and leading surveys of the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, the Mississippi River, and the Colorado River.  In 1912, he was elected President of the American Society of Civil Engineers.  Throughout his career, he received accolades from the governments of the United States, France, Italy, and Sweden.

He was born in Sweden in 1848, and emigrated to the United States when he was a young child.  Following the deaths of his parents during the trip, he was raised by relatives and other guardians.  He married Helen M. Chapin in 1875, she predeceased him in 1886.  They had two children, neither of whom survived infancy.  Later, in 1890, he married again to Chara W. Shackelford, who followed him in death in 1928.  John A. Ockerson died on March 22nd, 1924, and is buried in St. Louis, MO, with his second wife.