Hunter Rouse, founder of the History of Hydraulics collection.

IIHR’s former director, Hunter Rouse, wrote two widely used books on the history of hydraulics: History of Hydraulics (with S. Ince, 1957), and Hydraulics in the United States 1776–1976 (1976).  The first has been widely translated, and both remain standard references volumes. He also assembled a major collection of rare books on the history of hydraulics. The collection is summarized in Rouse’s catalogue, Historic Writings on Hydraulics (1984). Rouse’s interest in hydraulics history continues to fuel efforts and publications at IIHR in this broad subject area, with more recent efforts focusing on biographies of hydraulicians.