Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
Alexander Pearson Jr. (November 12, 1895 – September 2, 1924) was a prominent aviation figure in the
Army Air Service
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...
from 1919 until his death in 1924. He is credited with setting the world speed record in March 1923.
Pearson Field in
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...
was dedicated in his honor on by order of the
Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
Major General John L. Hines on May 7, 1925.
Biography
Pearson was born in
Sterling, Kansas on November 12, 1895
and graduated high school in
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, Reno County, Kansas, United States. The city is located on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887 (thus its nickname of "Salt City") but locals ...
. Pearson then moved to
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...
where he enrolled at the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
.
[Pearson Field: Washington's Pioneer Airport. Historylink. 2010-05-23. URL:http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=pf_output.cfm&file_id=7404. Accessed: 2010-05-23. (Archived by WebCite at]
Pearson joined the Army when the United States entered the war in 1917 and later in served the Air Service. .
[
Pearson served as an Army test pilot and held numerous flight records, including the transcontinental speed record. He lost his life while preparing for the Pulitzer race in Ohio. Flying the Curtiss R-8, a wing strut failed as Pearson attempted to recover from a dive and his plane crashed into the ground at 260 miles per hour near ]Fairfield, Ohio
Fairfield is a city in southern Butler County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb located about north of Cincinnati and is situated on the east bank of the Great Miami River. The population was 44,907 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1 ...
, killing him instantly.
Legacy
Pearson Field was officially dedicated on September 16, 1925, and to mark the occasion Lt. Oakley G. Kelly organized a large air show. Fifty-six aircraft from across the West converged on Pearson Field, providing the audience of 20,000 a spectacular show of precision flying and parachute drops.
Alexander Pearson Marker located at . Marker is in Vancouver, Washington, in Clark County. Marker is on E. 5th Street, on the left when traveling west. Marker is at the Pearson Air Museum Headquarters Building. Marker created by A. H. Clark in 1938. Made by L. C. Blouhard, J. F. Mahaney.[Howard C. French / Alexander Pearson. The Historical Marker Database. 2010-05-23. URL:http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=8962. Accessed: 2010-05-23. (Archived by WebCite at)]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Alexander Jr.
1895 births
1924 deaths
Accidental deaths in Ohio
American aviation record holders
Aviators from Kansas
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
University of Oregon alumni
People from Sterling, Kansas
People from Hutchinson, Kansas
Mackay Trophy winners
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1924