Harvey Slocum was an American heavy construction superintendent and dam-building expert, known primarily for his part in the construction of Grand Coulee Dam in the United States and the Bhakra Dam in India. Manly Harvey Slocum was born in National City, San Diego County, California. His father was a construction foreman for John D. Spreckels, and his mother was a schoolteacher and principal. Slocum ended his schooling after the 8th grade and spent the next two years as a messenger boy and hustler in the redlight districts of San Diego and San Francisco.