Albert Bond Lambert

Albert Bond Lambert (December 6, 1875 – November 12, 1946) was an American businessman. He was the president of Lambert Pharmacal Company, marketer of Listerine, for over 25 years. He was also a keen amateur golfer and prominent St. Louis aviator and benefactor of aviation.

Early life

He was son of Jordan W. Lambert, founder of Lambert Pharmacal Company, which marketed Listerine. He initially studied at the University of Virginia and became president of the family business in 1896. He became chairman in 1923 and stepped down in 1926 when it was acquired by another firm.

Golf

In October 1900, Lambert competed in the golf competitions held as part of the Exposition Universelle in Paris. He finished eighth in the men's championship competition, later classified as part of the 1900 Summer Olympics, and won the handicap competition.

Four years later he was part of the American team which won the silver medal, making Lambert the only golfer to have competed in both Olympic golf tournaments prior to the sport's long hiatus from 1908 to 2016. He finished 12th in this competition. In the individual competition he finished eighth in the qualification and was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the match play.

Aviation

In 1906 he became interested in aviation and took ballooning lessons. In 1907 he was one of the founders of the Aero Club of St. Louis. He attended the Smith Academy at Washington University in St. Louis

In 1909, Lambert met the Wright Brothers, and purchased his first airplane from them. He took flying lessons from Orville Wright, and in 1911 became the first St. Louis resident to hold a pilot's license. During World War I, he organized and financed a training school in St. Louis for balloonists; the school was incorporated into the Army Signal Corps and moved to Texas. Lambert was commissioned as a major and served as the unit's commanding officer.

In 1926, a young Charles Lindbergh visited his home while looking for financial support for his proposed transatlantic flight. Lambert offered financial support to Lindbergh and encouraged others to do the same. In return for this support, Lindbergh's plane was named '' The Spirit of St. Louis''.

In 1925, for $68,000, Lambert purchased Kinloch Field in Kinloch, Missouri, a field northwest of St. Louis, which had been used for hot air balloon ascensions and the first international air meet. At his own expense, Lambert developed the field by adding hangars and a passenger terminal. In 1928, Lambert sold the airfield to the city of St. Louis for $68,000, the same price he had paid for it before making improvements. The St. Louis Lambert International Airport, of which he is the namesake, is located on the same site and was the first municipally owned airport in the country.

Family

Lambert was married to Myrtle McGrew, daughter of the George F. McGrews of St. Louis. They had a daughter, Myrtle, and sons, Albert Bond Lambert Jr., Don L. Lambert and George Lea Lambert. George, a pilot instructor, died in an airplane accident on July 29, 1929, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Residence

2 Hortense Place was the Lamberts' home in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Albert Bond Lambert House is a red-brick and symmetrical mansion which has a two-story portico with columns. The nearly 12,000 square foot Neoclassical-style home was designed by noted architect George W. Hellmuth and was built between 1902 and 1903. It has 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. Before construction, its cost was estimated to be $45,000 (). This home was constructed just before the 1904 World's Fair. The King of Sweden also visited this house with the fireplace in the solarium apparently being a gift from the king.

References

External links

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Albert Bond Lambert
at earlyaviators.com
History of St. Louis Lambert International AirportLambert and Orville Wright sitting aboard a Wright A-B transitional aircraft c.1910original version Corbis
Wayback Machine archived)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambert, Albert Bond
American male golfers
Golfers at the 1900 Summer Olympics
Golfers at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in golf
Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Golfers from St. Louis
American aviators
Members of the Early Birds of Aviation
Smith Academy (Missouri) alumni
Burials at Bellefontaine Cemetery
People from Ladue, Missouri
1875 births
1946 deaths
20th-century American sportsmen
19th-century American sportsmen