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

Parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

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, then at the University of Iowa, and finally Exeter College at Oxford University.

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 in 1917 in the wake of World War I. He, and two other students in his class, were commissioned to First Lieutenant of the

Marine Corps Aviation United States Marine Corps Aviation (USMCA) is the aircraft arm of the United States Marine Corps. Aviation units within the Marine Corps are assigned to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, as the aviation combat element, by providing si ...

. A model of his invention was built at Wright Field in 1918. After its successful testing, the United States Army 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. 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 Falls Church is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Washington metropolitan area. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Churc ...

, Fairfax County, Virginia. They had four children, three daughters and one son: *

Solomon Lee Van Meter III Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah ( Hebrew: , Modern: , Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yah"), was a monarch of ancient Israel and the son and succes ...

; 1925–1953; soldier in the Korean War. * 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 Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He died on November 3, 1937 in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

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 on November 5, 1937.

Monument

A Life Size Bronze Portrait of Solomon Lee Van Meter Jr was created by artist, Amanda Matthews and unveiled in 2016 at the Aviation Museum of Kentucky and the Blue Grass 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