Encyclopedia Of Detroit

Cornelius L. Henderson was an African American civil engineer, known for his work on the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. 

Born in Detroit in approximately 1888, Henderson’s family was steeped in education. His father, the Rev. James Monroe Henderson, earned multiple advanced degrees including a Doctor of Laws from the Detroit College of Law and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Payne University. In addition to working as a lawyer and as a minister at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Detroit, Reverend Henderson served as president of two African American colleges: Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia; and Payne University in Selma, Alabama.  

After completing a pre-college program at Payne University, Henderson moved to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan. He graduated in 1911 with a degree in civil engineering. Only the second African American in the civil engineering program, he was the sole African American student in the program at the time and was forced to endure discrimination and isolation during his studies. After graduation, he returned to Detroit in search of a job. Despite his degree from the University of Michigan, Henderson was unable to find employment. A chance encounter with a fellow graduate led him to apply to the Canadian Bridge Company, based in Walkerville, Ontario, just across the Detroit River. Once hired, Henderson’s talent and drive helped propel him quickly through the ranks from draftsman to stock manager to steel cost engineer to structural design engineer.  

In 1927 the Canadian Bridge Company was awarded the contract for the design and construction of the Ambassador Bridge. Henderson was appointed chief structural engineer for the Canadian side of the project. He designed the Windsor approach to the bridge and supervised much of the installation of the bridge’s steel supports. 

He immediately went to work on Detroit’s next extraordinary engineering construction, the Detroit-Windsor tunnel, where he served as the construction supervisor for the steel tubes that encompass the entire tunnel, protecting it from the river above.  

Henderson spent his 47-year career with the Canadian Bridge Company. He worked on innumerable projects, including building bridges of all kinds, railroads, factories, residences, cemeteries, apartment buildings, and more throughout the United States, Canada, and around the world.  

He was a member of the Michigan National Defense Commission, the Michigan Engineering Society of Detroit, and a president of the National Technical Association.  

Cornelius Henderson was an integral part of the fabric of the City of Detroit. He was an organizer of the Detroit Civic Rights Committee, and was active in civic, religious, fraternal, and social organizations.  He was instrumental in the founding and design of Detroit Memorial Park, the first African American cemetery in Detroit, where he is buried. Henderson passed away in 1976.

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