Agustín de Betancourt

Agustín de Betancourt
Augustin de Betancourt, 1810s portrait in Russian Major General attire
Born	Agustín de Betancourt y Molina February 1, 1758 Puerto de la Cruz
Died	July 14, 1824 (1824-07-15) (aged 66) Saint Petersburg
Nationality	Spain
Occupation	Architect
Buildings	Moscow Manege, Nizhny Novgorod Fair

Agustín de Betancourt y Molina (Russian: Августин Августинович де Бетанкур, tr. Avgustin Avgustinovich de Betankur; French: Augustin Bétancourt; February 1, 1758 – July 24, 1824) was a prominent Spanish engineer, who worked in Spain, France and Russia. His work ranged from steam engines and balloons to structural engineering and urban planning. As an educator, Betancourt founded and managed the Spanish Corps of Engineers and the Saint Petersburg Institute of Communications Engineers. As an urban planner and construction manager, Betancourt supervised planning and construction in Saint Petersburg, Kronstadt, Nizhny Novgorod and other Russian cities.

de Betancourt was born in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain. The Tenerife Betancourt family can trace their roots to Jean de Béthencourt, who launched colonization of the Canary Islands in 1402 and became a self-proclaimed King of Tenerife in 1417 under the overlordship of the King of Castile. Augustín's father, also Augustín de Betancourt y Castro, was a well-educated businessman with interests in textile machinery. His mother, Maria de Betancourt née Castro, is believed to be the first woman in Tenerife to publish a scientific article (also related to textile dyes).