Ernst Lauda

Ernst Ritter von Lauda (born Ernst Philipp Johann Lauda, 15 August 1859 – 3 July 1932)^[1] was an Austrian hydraulic and bridge engineer who was an adviser to Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. He was awarded the Order of Franz Joseph and the second class of the Order of the Iron Crown and was given his own coat of arms.

Lauda was born on 15 August 1859 in Linz, Austria. His father, Adolf Lauda, was a director of the Empress Elisabeth Railway. From 1876 to 1882, Lauda studied engineering at the Vienna University of Technology.^[2] He was the father of physician Ernst Lauda and industrialist Hans Lauda, and the great-grandfather of Formula One world champion Niki Lauda.^[1][2][3] Lauda died in 1932 in Vienna, Austria.^[4]

Lauda worked as a civil servant.^[2] From 1881 to 1884, he worked on civil engineering and bridge construction.^[2] He started out repairing the Stein-Mautern bridge that crosses the Danube river, as well as bridges across the Vltava river.^[2]

In 1895, Lauda was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Hydrographic Central Office in Vienna. In 1909, Lauda became head of the hydraulic engineering department at the Ministry of Public Works.^[2] In his role, he helped regulate the Danube river, which was prone to flooding.^[5] Lauda blamed the flooding on increased deforestation around the Danube river, and the issue of deforestation around the Danube and the Seine were discussed at the 1909 International Congress of Navigation.^[6] Ernst's great-grandson Niki Lauda said that Ernst's work on the Danube was the main reason why he was given heraldic honours.^[7]

De 1915 a 1916, Lauda fue presidente de la Asociación Austriaca de Ingenieros y Arquitectos, y de 1917 a 1918 se centró en la reparación de edificios dañados durante la Primera Guerra Mundial . Lauda se retiró como ingeniero en 1918, aunque siguió impartiendo conferencias ocasionales en la Universidad Tecnológica de Viena en la década de 1920. ^{[ 2 ]}

En 1892, Lauda fue nombrado caballero de la Orden de Francisco José . ^{[ 2 ]} En 1914, recibió la segunda clase de la Orden de la Corona de Hierro . ^{[ 2 ]} En mayo de 1916, el emperador Francisco José I de Austria le prometió a Lauda su propio escudo de armas . ^{[ 5 ]} Francisco José I murió unos meses después, por lo que el escudo de armas fue firmado por su sucesor, Carlos I de Austria . ^{[ 5 ]} En 1917, Lauda también recibió el título de caballero, ^{[ 2 ] [ 5 ]} y un doctorado honoris causa de la Universidad Tecnológica de Viena. ^{[ 2 ] [ 4 ]}