Early Life and Education
Eads was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and named for his mother's cousin, then Congressman and subsequent President of the United States James Buchanan. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri.
Eads was largely self-educated; at the age of thirteen, he left school to take up work to help support the family. One of his first jobs was at the Williams & Duhring dry-goods store run by Barrett Williams. Williams allowed the young Eads to spend time in his library, located above the store. In Eads's spare time, he was read books on physical science, mechanics, machinery, and civil engineering.
Read more about this topic: James Buchanan Eads
Famous quotes containing the words early, life and/or education:
“On the Coast of Coromandel
Where the early pumpkins blow,
In the middle of the woods
Lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
Two old chairs, and half a candle,—
One old jug without a handle,—
These were all his worldly goods:
In the middle of the woods,”
—Edward Lear (1812–1888)
“The life of pleasure breeds boredom. The life of duty breeds resentment.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“To me education is a leading out of what is already there in the pupil’s soul. To Miss Mackay it is a putting in of something that is not there, and that is not what I call education, I call it intrusion.”
—Muriel Spark (b. 1918)