Lowell Yerex (24 July 1895 – 1968) was born in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, and attended
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus.
The university is known for its Luthe ...
in
Valparaiso, Indiana
Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.
History
The site of present-day Valparaiso ...
, United States.
He graduated from
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus.
The university is known for its Luthe ...
in 1916. He volunteered for the British
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...
in 1917, was shot down over France and spent four months in a German prisoner-of-war camp.
In 1931, he founded
Transportes Aéreos Centro Americanos (TACA), but was forced out at the end of 1945. He went on to found
British West Indian Airways in
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...
in 1940, at the invitation of Lady Young, wife of Trinidad and Tobago's new governor Sir
Hubert Winthrop Young.
In 1941, he founded
Aerovias Brasil in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
. After several mergers and acquisitions, the successor companies were eventually acquired by
VARIG
VARIG (''Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense'', 'Rio Grandean Airways') was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990, it was Brazil's leading airline and virtually its only international one. In 2005, Varig went into judici ...
in 1961.
He was born in Wellington, New Zealand and died in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
References
*''Yerex of TACA: A Kiwi Conquistador'' (1985, Ampersand, New Zealand) by David Yerex (nephew)
*''Aviator of Fortune: Lowell Yerex and the Anglo-American Commercial Rivalry 1931-1946'' by Eric Benson (2006, Texas A&M University Press)
External links
Yerex ousted from TACA (Time, 1945)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yerex, Lowell
1895 births
1968 deaths
Businesspeople in aviation
Valparaiso University alumni
Royal Flying Corps officers
World War I prisoners of war held by Germany
British Army personnel of World War I
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century New Zealand businesspeople
New Zealand prisoners of war in World War I
New Zealand emigrants to the United States