Lawrence Ennis CMG[1] OBE (31 August 1871 – 5 May 1938) was a Scottish engineer.
He was best known as the managing director of Dorman Long and the main supervisor of the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.[2]
Ennis was born in West Calder, Scotland. He was descended from a family of engineers on his maternal line.[3] His father was a builder from County Meath in Ireland.[4] He was educated at Gavieside School, but due to his family's poor circumstances he left at the age of 12.[5] His first job was to work as a drawer in a local shale pit.[6] He emigrated with his family to Rochester in the United States at the age of 15.[5] He attended a technical college in Rochester and was apprenticed to an engineering firm.[6]
Ennis developed his reputation when he patented a new angle iron whilst employed at the Carnegie steel works in Pittsburgh.[6] Ennis managed one of the American Bridge Company's largest sites by 1900. Ennis joined Dorman Long in 1903 as superintendent in charge of bridge and constructional works.[7] In 1905 he was made works manager.[7] Ennis became general manager of the company in 1915 and a company director in 1924.[8]
Ennis was appointed OBE in 1918, in recognition of his conversion of the Dorman Long works into a munitions manufacturing site during World War One.[9]
From 1924 to 1932 Ennis was resident in Australia to manage the construction of Sydney Harbour Bridge.[10] [11]
Upon his return to Britain in 1932, Ennis was appointed managing director of Dorman Long.[12] Under his tenure the firm built a large steelworks at Warrenby, Redcar.[13]
He died in 1938.[14]