John Armstrong Drexel

John Armstrong Drexel (October 24, 1891 – March 4, 1958) was an American aviation pioneer who was a member of the prominent Drexel family of Philadelphia.[1]

John Armstrong Drexel
Drexel in 1910
Born(1891-10-24)October 24, 1891
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedMarch 4, 1958(1958-03-04) (aged 66)
Ashford, Kent, England
OccupationAviator
Parent(s)Anthony Joseph Drexel, Jr.
Margarita Armstrong
RelativesAnthony Joseph Drexel (grandfather)
Margaretta Finch-Hatton, Countess of Winchilsea (sister)
Anthony Joseph Drexel III (brother)

Early life

Drexel was a son of Anthony Joseph Drexel Jr. (1864–1934)[2] and Margarita Armstrong (1867-1948).[3] His elder brother was banker, and aviator, Anthony Joseph Drexel III, and his only sister Margaretta was married to Guy Finch-Hatton, 14th Earl of Winchilsea.[4]

He was a grandson of Anthony Joseph Drexel, millionaire banker and founder of Drexel University. His father began working for his grandfather at Drexel & Co., Drexel, Morgan & Co. of New York, and Drexel, Harjes & Co., and was made a partner on January 1, 1890, shortly before his birth.[5] His father resigned on October 21, 1893, just four months after his grandfather's death, and then lived a life of leisure.[6] Aside from his inheritance from the estate of his father, which he shared with his three siblings,[7] he inherited $1,000,000.[8]

Career

With William McArdle, he founded the New Forest Flying School at East Boldre, the second school for pilots in Great Britain and the fifth in the world.[9]

On June 21, 1910,[10] Drexel was the 10th aviator to receive his British Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificate, recognized under the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.[11][12] He also became only the 8th Aviator to receive an Aero Club of America pilot's licence, taking the test in his Gnôme engined Blériot monoplane.[13]

On August 12, 1910, he set the world altitude record of 6,595 feet in a Blériot monoplane In competition in Lanark, Scotland.[14][9][15] In November 1910, in an attempt to fly cross-country, he lost his way and had to land near the Delaware River.[16]

Military service

During World War I, he served as chauffeur to Field Marshal Sir John French,[17] and later, flew with the French Lafayette Escadrille until 1917.[18] He was subsequently commissioned Major in the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, serving until the end of the war in the United States Army Air Service.[1]

Later career

In 1926, Drexel drove the Flying Scotsman train from London to Edinburgh.[8]

In 1934, Drexel served as a partner in the securities firm of William P. Bonbright & Co.,[19] along with August Belmont IV. He also served on Bonbright's board and on the board of the Anglo-South American Bank.[19]

References
  1. "DREXEL FLYING FOR FRANCE.; Young Philadelphian in Lafayette Escadrille on West Front". The New York Times. 15 May 1917. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  2. "ANTHONY J. DREXEL, BANKER, DIES AT 70; Head of Famous Philadelphia Family Succumbs Here After Illness of Eight Months, RESIDED LONG IN ENGLAND Keen Yachtsman and Owner of Celebrated Craft -Had Been Host to Edward VII. i". The New York Times. 15 December 1934. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  3. "MRS. BRINSLEY FITZGERALD". The New York Times. February 13, 1948. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  4. "U.S. Born Countess, Former Miss Drexel" (PDF). The New York Times. 25 December 1952. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  5. Rottenberg, Dan (2001). The Man who Made Wall Street: Anthony J. Drexel and the Rise of Modern Finance. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812236262. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  6. "WANTS TO ENJOY HIMSELF.; Anthony J. Drexel, Jr., to withdraw from Hoeses His Father Founded". The New York Times. 21 October 1893. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  7. Times, Special To The New York (5 January 1935). "COL. DREXEL'S WILL NAMES MME. BARTH; Resident of Paris Receives $25,000 and Life Income From $500,000". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  8. "J.A. Drexel Drives Crack Train to Edinburgh; American Broker Is Cheered by London Crowd". The New York Times. 8 May 1926. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  9. "Events of the Month in Aeronautics". Popular Mechanics. 14: 505. October 1910.
  10. "Official Notices to Members". The Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom. June 25, 1910. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  11. Pictures of many pioneer aviators listed here can be seen in Flight "Progress: A Pictorial Review in "Flight" Photographs" (PDF). Flight Magazine. London: Reed Business Information. XXII (1): 34–37. 1930-01-03. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  12. "Medals Sold with Flying Colors". www.pressreader.com. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  13. "The Lothians: J. Armstrong Drexel - Aviator". the-lothians.blogspot.com. The Lothians. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  14. "DREXEL-CATTANEO CONTEST; A Duration Test -- Cattaneo Makes a New British Record". The New York Times. 11 August 1910. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  15. "Morane Gets the Height Record". The New York Times. 1 September 1910. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  16. "DREXEL GOES ASTRAY IN HIS MONOPLANE; Aviator Trying to Return to Point Breeze Track Flew in the Opposite Direction". The New York Times. 25 November 1910. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  17. Times, Special Cable To The New York (12 December 1914). "DREXEL INVALIDED HOME.; American Who Served as French's Chauffeur Returns to London". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  18. Times, Special To The New York (8 September 1915). "DREXEL PREDICTS ADVANCE.; Philadelphian, Back from the Front, Says Allies Are Getting Ready". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  19. "J.A. Drexel on 2 Bank Boards". The New York Times. 1 June 1934. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
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