David Cushman Coyle (1887–1969) was an American structural engineer, economist, and writer. Coyle was the structural engineer of the Washington State Capitol and a prominent economic thinker during the New Deal.[1]

David Cushman Coyle
Born1887
Died1969
Occupation(s)Structural engineer, economist, author
SpouseDoris Coyle
Children2 sons, 1 daughter
Parent(s)John Patterson Coyle
Mary Cushman

Early life

edit

David Cushman Coyle was born in 1887. His parents were John Patterson Coyle, a Congregational minister, and Mary Cushman Coyle. His sister was Grace Coyle (1892–1962).[citation needed]

Career

edit

Coyle was a structural engineer, economist and writer.[2] He also wrote several books on economic theory and policy, including Brass Tacks (1935) and Uncommon Sense (1945).

He engineered the concrete dome that spans the building's rotunda using a cantilevered truss system. At 287 feet in diameter, it remains the largest free-standing masonry dome in North America.[3]

Personal life and death

edit

Coyle had two sons, and a daughter by his first wife. He was married to Doris Porter Coyle upon his death.[4] He resided in Washington, D.C. and Cliff Island, Portland, Maine, and vacationed in Cape Porpoise, Maine.[4] He was a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. He died in 1969 in Washington, D.C.[4]

Selected works

edit
  • Uncommon Sense, (1936)
  • America, (1941), published by National Home Library Foundation
  • Tolerance and Treason, The Yale Review, (Spring 1948)
  • The United States Political System and How it Works, (1957)
  • The United Nations and How It Works, (1965)
  • Roads to a New America, (1969)

References

edit
  1. ^ Paul Kellogg (1945). Survey Graphic. Survey Associates. p. 213.
  2. ^ "David Cushman Coyle". VQR Online. Virginia Quarterly Review. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Records of the Work Projects Administration [WPA]". www.archives.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  4. ^ a b c "DAVID CUSHMAN COYLE". Biddeford-Saco Journal. Biddeford, Maine. July 31, 1969. p. 2. Retrieved November 23, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.


edit