Joseph Baermann Strauss (January 9, 1870 – May 16, 1938) was a German-American structural engineer who revolutionized the design of bascule bridges.

After completion of the Golden Gate Bridge he returned to his passion of poetry and wrote his most recognizable poem "The Mighty Task is Done".

Upon graduating from the University of Cincinnati, Strauss worked at the office of Ralph Modjeski, a firm which specialized in building bridges.

In Sête, France, over Canal du Midi, another copy of Strauss designed bridges is to be found.

[7] Strauss is credited as the chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge, but Charles Alton Ellis is responsible for most of the structural design.

[9] As chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, Strauss overcame many problems.

He placed a brick from the demolished McMicken Hall at his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati, in the south anchorage before the concrete was poured.