Roswell Gardinier Benedict (9 December 1815 – 5 February 1859) was a civil engineer by profession and became involved in land development and the manufacturing of rolling stock for railways.

Benedict's professional career was mainly spent in railway construction although his first significant project involved construction on the Welland Canal

Welland Canal

The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...

. He formed an association there with a contractor, Samuel Zimmerman

Samuel Zimmerman

Samuel Zimmerman was a Canadian railway promoter and entrepreneur instrumental in the construction of the Great Western Railway of Upper Canada.-Early life:...

, which would continue until Zimmerman's death in 1857.

Benedict had acquired extensive railway-building experience in the United States before coming to Canada. After his time on the Canal project, he became assistant to the chief engineer of the Great Western Railroad

Great Western Railway (Ontario)

The Great Western Railway was a historic Canadian railway that operated in Canada West and later the province of Ontario, following Confederation...

 in 1847 and then chief engineer four years later.