Sir Sandford Fleming

Fleming, Sir Sandford (1827–1915), Canadian civil engineer and builder of that country's Intercolonial Railway. In 1867 he was named chief engineer for the dominion government. Under his tenure the Intercolonial Railway was built and surveys were made and construction begun for the Canadian Pacific Railway (now CP Rail). After his retirement in 1880, he designed a telegraph communication system for the British Empire. The first link of this system was the Pacific cable between Canada and Australia. He was knighted in 1897.

See also: Standard time.