John Ripley Freeman

John Ripley Freeman
Born	(1855-07-27)July 27, 1855 West Bridgton, Maine
Died	October 6, 1932(1932-10-06) (aged 77) Providence, Rhode Island
Residence	United States
Citizenship	American
Fields	Fire protection engineering Civil engineering Hydraulic engineering Aeronautics
Institutions	National Academy of Sciences National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics National Research Council National Bureau of Standards
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Notable awards	John Fritz Medal (1934) Posthumous J. James R. Croes Medal (1931) ASME Medal (1923) Norman Medal (1890, 1891)
Spouse	Elizabeth Farwell née Clark
Chairman of the NACA
In office 1918–1919
President	Woodrow Wilson
Preceded by	William F. Durand
Succeeded by	Charles Doolittle Walcott

John Ripley Freeman (July 27, 1855 – October 6, 1932) was an American civil and hydraulic engineer. Freeman was born in West Bridgton, Maine and received his undergraduate degree from MIT in 1876. He is noted for his efforts to design and build the Charles River Dam, advising the government on dam and lock foundations for the Panama Canal, and influencing the design of MIT's new campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was also the founder and president of Massachusetts Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He was a member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics during World War I, and served as chairman from 1918–1919.

Freeman was the design engineer for several water projects, including the Lake Spaulding Dam, the Holter Dam, the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, the Charles River Dam, the Keokuk Dam, the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and the Panama Canal).

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