William Patterson MacCracken Jr. (September 17, 1888 - September 20, 1969) was the first U. S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for

Aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies ...

. His department was awarded the

Collier Trophy The Robert J. Collier Trophy is an annual aviation award administered by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association (NAA), presented to those who have made "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to im ...

of 1928 for its contribution to the "development of airways and air navigation facilities". Later he was convicted of

contempt of congress Contempt of Congress is the act of obstructing the work of the United States Congress or one of its committees. Historically, the bribery of a U.S. senator or U.S. representative was considered contempt of Congress. In modern times, contempt of Co ...

in the Air Mail scandal in 1934.

Biography

William was born in Chicago, Illinois, September 17, 1888. His mother was Mary Elizabeth Avery before she married William P. MacCracken. Young William studied law at the University of Chicago and earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1911. His practice in Chicago was interrupted by his service as a flight instructor in the Air Service during World War I. He married Sally Lucille Lewis on September 14, 1918.William P. Mac Cracken, Jr. Papers
/ref> From 1922 to 26 he was a member of the board of governors of the National Aeronautic Association,The First Federal Regulator for Aviation
from Federal Aviation Administration and from 1920 to 1938 he was a member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. MacCracken entered public service as assistant

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

of Illinois in 1923, and the following year assistant

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

for Cook County. MacCracken became the first federal regulator of commercial aviation when then-

Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

Herbert Hoover named him the first Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics in 1926. He appointed

Louis H. Bauer Louis Hopewell Bauer (July 18, 1888 – February 2, 1964) was an American medical doctor who founded the Aerospace Medical Association in 1929. Bauer was the first medical director of the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce which beca ...

as the first medical director of the Aeronautics Branch. In 1929, he helped to draft key safety standards and regulations that became part of the 1930 Air Mail Act. MacCracken then returned to his private law practice, where he continued to be involved in the growth of commercial aviation by representing many major airlines. For that reason Postmaster General

Walter F. Brown Walter Folger Brown (May 31, 1869January 26, 1961) was an American politician and lawyer who is served as the Postmaster General of the United States from March 5, 1929 to March 4, 1933 under Herbert Hoover's administration. Biography Early & p ...

asked him to preside over what was later scandalized as the ''Spoils Conference'', to work out an agreement between the carriers and the Post office to consolidate air mail routes into transcontinental networks operated by the best-equipped and financially stable companies. This relationship left both exposed to charges of favoritism. Fulton Lewis had collected material indicating collusion of the airlines, and Senator

Hugo Black Hugo Lafayette Black (February 27, 1886 – September 25, 1971) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist who served as a U.S. Senator from Alabama from 1927 to 1937 and as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1937 to 1971. A ...

used Lewis' research as he began his investigation into impropriety. :MacCracken had a long experience in the legal aspects of flying and had built a thriving law practice representing aviation clients. He also had close ties to Hoover and Brown and had chaired the 1930 spoils conference. Not surprisingly the Black committee subpoenaed his documents. MacCracken refused to comply, pleading the confidentiality of the lawyer-client relationship...¶ MacCracken may have been motivated by a sense of ethics, but his own actions and those of his associates deeply compromised him. With the files still under subpoena, MacCracken and Gilbert Givvin, a secretary to

Transcontinental and Western Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with F ...

Air president Harris Hanshue, removed several items and mailed them to Hanshue. Another MacCracken client, L. H. Brittin of

Northwest Airways Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) was a major American airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger. The merger, approved on October 29, 2008, made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines- ...

, secured permission from MacCracken’s law partner to remove approximately half a dozen letters Brittin considered personal. He then returned to his own office, tore the letters to pieces, and threw the fragments into the wastebasket...the attorney and his associates were summoned before the senate on contempt charges...With the other three defendants appearing before the senate as ordered, MacCracken went into hiding...After brief deliberation, the chamber acquitted Hanshue and Givven, but sentenced Brittin and MacCracken to ten days in the District of Columbia jail. While Brittin promptly served his sentence, MacCracken continued to resist the Senate’s authority. Ultimately, the

U. S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

unanimously rejected MacCracken’s plea and forced him to serve his sentence.Daniel D. Lee (1991) "Senator Black's Investigation of the Air Mail 1933-34",

The Historian ''The Historian'' is the 2005 debut novel of American author Elizabeth Kostova. The plot blends the history and folklore of Vlad Țepeș and his fictional equivalent Count Dracula. Kostova's father told her stories about Dracula when she was a c ...

53: 423–42 MacCracken had filed a petition of '' habeas corpus'' in federal courts to overturn his arrest, but after litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress had acted constitutionally, and denied the petition in the case ''Jurney'' v. ''MacCracken''. According to The Washington Post, "Chesley Jurney, the

Senate sargeant at arms The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the United States Senate (originally known as the Doorkeeper of the Senate from April 7, 1789 – 1798) is the protocol officer, executive officer, and highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer of the ...

, had no place to hold MacCracken who, after being sentenced, showed up at Jurney's house and stayed the night. The next day he was confined to a room at the Willard Hotel". From 1942 to 1968 MacCracken was an attorney for the American Optometric Association. "His influence on optometry's recognition by the federal government was profound." A biography of William P. MacCracken was assembled and published by Southern College of Optometry. He died on September 20, 1969, in Washington, DC.

Honors

* Secretary, American Bar Association 1925 to 36, Journal of the American Bar Association November 1969 *April 6, 1927 recipient of the first pilot certificate issued by the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce. *

1928 (Aeronautics branch of US Department of Commerce)Collier Trophy winners 1920 to 29
from * National Aeronautical Association * LL.D.

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

, Northfield Vermont 1936 * Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy 1959

Biography

Honors

References

Further reading