Marjorie Claire Stinson (July 5, 1895 – April 15, 1975) was an American aviator, airmail pilot, pilot instructor, and stunt pilot — one of the pioneering Stinson siblings of early aviation, who included older sister

Katherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

, and younger brothers Eddie and Jack.Longyard, William H.: ''Who's Who in Aviation History: 500 Biographies,'' 1994, Airlife, Shewsbury, England, pp.177-178; ISBN 1-85310-272-5Schamburger, Page and Joe Christy: ''Command the Horizon: A Pictorial History of Aviation,'' 1968, A.S. Barnes, New York; Thomas Yoseloff, London; LOC 68-11541Carson, Annette: ''Flight Fantastic: The Illustrated History of Aerobatics,'' 1986, Foulis/Haynes, Sparkford, England / Newbury Park, California; LOC 86-80522; ISBN 0-85429-490-2"The Stinson Family Papers,"

San Diego Air and Space Museum The San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California. It is located in Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building, which is listed on the US National Register of Historic Plac ...

, retrieved May 8, 2024 She trained at the

Wright Flying School The Wright Flying School, also known as the Wright School of Aviation, was operated by the Wright Company from 1910 to 1916 and trained 119 individuals to fly Wright airplanes. History Orville Wright began training students on March 19, 1910 ...

, and earned her

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The World Air Sports Federation (; FAI) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintains worl ...

license in 1914, becoming the ninth woman in the U.S. to do so. Stinson became an exhibition pilot, and later was the first female airmail pilot in the United States, flying from Seguin to

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

in 1915. Along with her sister

, she taught at the Stinson School of Flying established by her mother. After it closed, Marjorie returned to exhibition flying and worked at the

Department of the Navy Navy Department or Department of the Navy may refer to: * United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DON) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. It was esta ...

, retiring in 1945. She died at Rogers Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., in 1975. Stinson was a charter member of the

Ninety-Nines The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots, also known as The 99s, is an international organization that provides networking, mentoring, and flight scholarship opportunities to recreational and professional female pilots. Foun ...

Career

Early career

Following in the footsteps of her sister,

, Marjorie Stinson learned to fly in June 1914 at the Wright School in

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

. With instruction from Howard Rinehart, she was able to

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...

after 4.5 hours. She was the ninth woman in the U.S. to receive an FAI certificate. After being unsuccessful in starting an airmail route in Texas, she joined the family flight school at the

Stinson Municipal Airport Stinson Municipal Airport is seven miles south of downtown San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a '' reliever airport''. History Stinson Municipal Airport is t ...

, where she was an instructor like her sister. In 1915 she was the only woman admitted into the US Aviation Reserve Corps. In 1916 the

Royal Canadian Flying Corps The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canad ...

began sending their cadets to the Stinson School for their training, where she was referred to as "The Flying Schoolmarm" and her students as "The Texas Escadrille" By war's end, hundreds of military pilots had trained at the family's school.

Stunt pilot

From 1917 to 1928 Marjorie was a very successful stunt show pilot performing at events like: * July 3, 1915, Marjorie made two flights in

Bogalusa Bogalusa ( ) is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. In th2020 censusthe city reported a population of 10,659. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Are ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, one at 10:30 and one at 4:30 * August 29, 1914, Marjorie and her sister Katherine carried the yellow "votes for Women" banner in their Wright Biplane at the suffrage field day in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, they abandoned their exhibition tour to take part in the suffragette field and thus raise $50,000 for six

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

"campaign states" * June 23, 1919, a Campaign for $10,000,000 for a Victory Memorial Building in Washington, Marjorie flew across Washington to help advertise their campaign * April 21, Marjorie flew a small Curtis Plane between

Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling: English language, English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German ...

and Potomac park in Washington and upon landing sold $3000 worth of bonds for Victory Liberty Loans

Legacy

Death

When Marjorie died in 1975 on April 15 she was cremated and her ashes spread across the Stinson Airfield.

Stinson Airfield

After being established 1915 by the Stinson Family, the

is the second oldest general aviation airport. It holds the home of the

Texas Air Museum - Stinson Chapter The Texas Air Museum - Stinson Chapter is located on Stinson Municipal Airport (which is the second oldest continuous operating airport in the United States). The Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF) is located six miles south of downtown San Anton ...

and was used as a training base for the United States Army Air Forces during World War 2.

References

External links

* *https://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/women-in-aviation/StinsonM.cfm *http://findingaids.loc.gov/db/search/xq/searchMfer02.xq?_id=loc.mss.eadmss.ms012116&_faSection=overview&_faSubsection=did&_dmdid= {{DEFAULTSORT:Stinson, Marjorie 1895 births 1975 deaths United States Department of Defense officials Women government officials American women aviators People from San Antonio People from Fort Payne, Alabama United States airmail pilots Members of the Early Birds of Aviation 20th-century American women Aviators from Texas Aviators from Alabama