Solomon Lee Van Meter Jr. (April 8, 1888 - November 3, 1937) was an American inventor, famous for inventing the first successful backpack Parachute.

Early life

Solomon Lee Van Meter Jr. was born as Joseph Atkins Van Meter in a cabin behind where his family's country residence, Shenandoah Hall, stands today (38.069369,-84.440274) on Bryan Station Pike in Fayette County, KY. His parents were Solomon Lee Van Meter and Evaline Trent "Evie" Swoope. He was the second of five siblings, and two half-siblings. His name was changed to Solomon Lee Van Meter Jr. before the 1900 Census. His early education was at Miss Collier's Private School. He began tertiary education at

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

, then at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

, and finally Exeter College at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

Career

In 1910, Van Meter became the inventor of the first successful backpack parachute and filed for a patent on March 27, 1911. On July 25, 1916, he was granted patents on "inventions for saving the lives of aviators by the use of parachutes." including the Aviatory Life Buoy, Patent # 1,192,479. Van Meter joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

in 1917 in the wake of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He, and two other students in his class, were commissioned to

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

of the Marine Corps Aviation. A model of his invention was built at

Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. Lo ...

in 1918. After its successful testing, the

allowed the Irving Air Chute Company to build parachutes for government use. In the meantime, Van Meter was assigned to McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio, where he was sent to improve his invention. Lt. Van Meter tested his invention himself on June 14, 1926 at

West Point Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

. Van Meter also invented the ejection seat, although was never properly credited for the invention.

Marriage and family

Solomon Lee Van Meter Jr. married Lois Chapin on June 2, 1924 in Falls Church,

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria and ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. They had four children, three daughters and one son: * Solomon Lee Van Meter III; 1925–1953; soldier in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. * Lois Lynn Van Meter; 1928–Present; Married James Leslie Parrish * Mary McDowell Van Meter; 1931–Present; Married Hilary Johnson Boone Jr. * Virginia Paul Chapin Van Meter; born 1938; Married William Robinson Patterson Jr. Died in Fayette Co, KY.

Death

Solomon Lee Van Meter Jr. retired from the military, with the position of Captain. He died on November 3, 1937 in Lexington, Kentucky at the age of 49.Kentucky Aviation Pioneers: Solomon Lee Van Meter Jr. (1888-1937)
KET Aviation Museum Of Kentucky He was interred at

Lexington Cemetery Lexington Cemetery is a private, non-profit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 833 W. Main Street, Lexington, Kentucky. The Lexington Cemetery was established in 1848 as a place of beauty and a public cemetery, in part to deal ...

on November 5, 1937.

Monument

A Life Size Bronze Portrait of Solomon Lee Van Meter Jr was created by artist,

Amanda Matthews Amanda Matthews (born 1968) is an American sculptor and painter from Louisville, Kentucky, United States, who lives in Lexington, Kentucky. Early life, Education, and Family Amanda Matthews was born in 1968 in Louisville, Kentucky to Jam ...

and unveiled in 2016 at the

Aviation Museum of Kentucky The Aviation Museum of Kentucky is an aviation museum located at the Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky. Incorporated in 1989, and opened to the public in April, 1995. It includes over of exhibit space, a library, and an aircraft restorat ...

and the

Blue Grass Airport Blue Grass Airport is a public airport in Fayette County, Kentucky, United States, 6 miles west of downtown Lexington. Located among horse farms and situated directly across from Keeneland Race Course, Blue Grass Airport is the primary airport ...

in Lexington, KY.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Meter, Solomon Lee Jr. 1888 births 1937 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I American people of Dutch descent People from Fayette County, Kentucky Transylvania University alumni University of Iowa alumni Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford 20th-century American inventors