Statewide County HI Archives Biographies.....Jorgensen, Jorgen September 12, 1866 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/hi/hifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: J. Orr jessicanorr@gmail.com September 14, 2011, 1:59 pm Source: The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders, published by the Honolulu Star Bulletin, Territory of Hawaii, 1925 Author: Edited by George F. Nellist JORGEN JORGENSEN, Civil and Hydraulic Engineer. A resident of Hawaii continuously since 1898, except for a period of service in the army of his adopted country during the World War, Jorgen Jorgensen has designed, supervised and carried to successful completion a number of the most important engineering projects in the Territory having to do with the development and diversion of water for the irrigation of sugar plantations, and involving the expenditure of millions of dollars. The most notable of his professional achievements was the Waiahole water tunnel, constructed at a cost of $2,000,000 to bring water from windward Oahu to the great plantations of the leeward side of the island. He was consulting engineer on this project in 1911-12, and was the contracting engineer, 1913- 16. Unusual engineering problems were encountered and solved in the handling of this work, which included the boring of eleven miles of tunnel, and its completion marked the fulfillment of the greatest work of the kind yet undertaken in Hawaii. Mr. Jorgensen, as resident engineer, also directed work on the Koolau Ditch, Maui, in 1902-04, a $600,000 project, and the Kohala Ditch, Hawaii, 1904-05, which cost about $700,000. He was chief engineer of the Upper and Lower Hamakua ditches and reservoirs, 1905-11, a $1,200,000 project. He was a member of the Honolulu Water Commission in 1916 and has made numerous reports on different water projects and other engineering works in Hawaii. He made a report to the old Lanai Company in 1910 and located a tunnel in Maunalei Gulch which resulted in opening up the only steady water supply of fresh water on Lanai. In 1924 this was supplemented by another tunnel, doubling the water supply, for the Hawaiian Pineapple Co. He also located and surveyed the main pipe systems on the Parker and Maguire ranches, Hawaii, and increased the water supply of the Molokai Ranch of the American Sugar Co. Since 1922 Mr. Jorgensen has been engineer for the Hawaiian Homes Commission, engaged in developing water resources on Molokai, and he has also made water surveys on Lanai in connection with the Hawaiian Pineapple Co.’s great development program on that island. Born in Denmark, Sept. 12, 1866 the son of Jorgen and Mette (Jorgensen) Jorgensen, Mr. Jorgensen was educated in the Latin School of Nyborg, University of Copenhagen and the Danish Army School for Officers, graduating in 1888 as a lieutenant and serving one year in the Royal Danish Engineers. Coming to America in 1889, Mr. Jorgensen spent the next nine years in land and railroad surveying in Washington and Oregon, and in the Spanish-American War, 1898, served for ten months as a sergeant of Volunteer Engineers, coming to Hawaii during this service. He was assistant engineer for the McBryde Sugar Co., 1899-1901, and engineer for the Koloa Sugar Co., 1901-02, in the latter year beginning his distinguished career as a hydraulic engineer. Entering the American army for World war service as a major of engineers on Jan. 5, 1918, at Camp Lee, Va., Mr. Jorgensen was variously assigned to the First, Second and Third Engineers, replacement troops, and commanded the 154th Engineers at Camp Shelby, Miss., where he was honorably discharged on Dec. 15, 1918. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, Officers’ Reserve Corps, Aug. 14, 1923. When the American Legion was organized in Hawaii, Mr. Jorgensen was elected vice commander of the Department, Sept. 4, 1919. He has been a delegate to all department conventions of the Legion and was a delegate to the fifth national convention, San Francisco, in October, 1923. He was appointed to the Committee on Americanism, 1924, by the national headquarters of the Legion. Mr. Jorgensen is a member of the American Association of Engineers, Association of Military Engineers, Hawaiian Association of Sugar Technologists, Chiefs of Hawaii, Commercial Club, Pacific Club, Chamber of Commerce, charter member of the Hawaii Polo & Racing Association, and a Scottish Rite Mason, Shriner and Elk. He is a member of Honolulu Post, American Legion, and Theodore Roosevelt Post, United Spanish War Veterans. Mr. Jorgensen married Hyla Brand Coonley in San Francisco, Dec. 12, 1916. Mrs. Jorgensen has been active in the American Legion Auxiliary. She was the first committeewoman from Honolulu Unit No. 1, a delegate to the first department convention, Sept., 1922, and chairman of its committee on constitution, by-laws, organization and legislation; president of the Auxiliary, Department of Hawaii, 1922-23; national executive committeewoman and delegate to the second national convention, New Orleans, 1922; attended national executive meetings in 1922, 1923 and 1924; was national executive committeewoman and delegate to the third and fourth national conventions, San Francisco (1923), and St. Paul (1924); president, Honolulu Unit No. 1, 1924. Mrs. Jorgensen also is a member of the Y.W.C.A., Outdoor Circle, Theodore Roosevelt Spanish War Auxiliary and the Humane Society. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/hi/statewide/bios/jorgense425bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/hifiles/ File size: 5.7 Kb