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Biography
Donald Roebling (November 15, 1908–1959) was an eccentric twentieth-century American philanthropist and inventor. He is most famous for inventing the amtrac in 1937, which he originally intended to be a hurricane rescue device. The United States Navy awarded Roebling a Certificate of Achievement in recognition of "exceptional accomplishment" for his invention, dubbed the Roebling Alligator. In 1948, he received the Medal of Merit from President Harry S. Truman, "for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service to the United States." He was the great-grandson of John A. Roebling, who began the design of the Brooklyn Bridge, and the grandson of Colonel Washington A. Roebling and Emily Warren Roebling, who together completed the design and supervised its construction.
Born in New York City, Roebling grew up in his family's mansion in Bernardsville, New Jersey.
Roebling had an interest in science, and sponsored Paul Bartsch's 1937 Smithsonian marine research expedition. He was also involved in the establishment of the Archbold_Biological_Station.
On December 19, 1979, the Donald Roebling Estate in Clearwater, Florida was added to the National Register of Historic Places.