David Sinton Ingalls

David Sinton Ingalls
Lieutenant David Ingalls c.1918
Born	28 January 1899 Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Died	26 April 1985(1985-04-26) (aged 86) Chagrin Falls, Ohio, United States
Buried at	Hot Springs, Virginia, United States
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1917–1919 1941–1945
Rank	Rear Admiral
Unit	No. 217 Squadron RAF No. 213 Squadron RAF
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Mentioned in Despatches (United Kingdom) Legion d'Honneur (France)
Other work	Assistant Secretary of the Navy

David Sinton Ingalls (28 January 1899 – 26 April 1985) was the US Navy's only flying ace of World War I, with six credited victories; thus he was the first ace in U. S. Navy history. He was the son of Albert S. Ingalls; his mother, Jane Taft, was the niece of President William Howard Taft. He was the grandson of railroad executive Melville E. Ingalls. He was the great-grandson of industrialist David Sinton, for whom he was named. He was married to Louise Hale Harkness, daughter of William L. Harkness and granddaughter of Daniel M. Harkness, who was instrumental in the formation of Standard Oil.

Ingalls received his secondary education at the University School in Cleveland, and later attended St. Paul's. He entered Yale in 1916, where he studied as a medical student (he would eventually graduate in 1920 with a BA in English) and joined the First Yale Unit. As such, Ingalls became a member of the Naval Reserve Flying Corps and by 1917 had obtained his pilot's license.

On 26 March 1917, Ingalls was enlisted as Naval Aviator No. 85. He was called to active duty on 4 April 1917. Before heading to Europe, Ingalls received aviation training at West Palm Beach in Florida. On 3 June, he was sent to Huntington, Long Island, New York for more training. His training was completed on 1 September 1917, and he was made a lieutenant (junior grade).