Frank Purdy Lahm
| Frank Purdy Lahm | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
November 17, 1877 Mansfield, Ohio |
| Died | July 7, 1963 (aged 85) Sandusky, Ohio |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 Cavalry, United States Army Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps Air Service, United States Army United States Army Air Corps
|
| Years of service | 1901–1941 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Commands held | Air Corps Training Center |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards |
Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit |
Frank Purdy Lahm (November 17, 1877 – July 7, 1963) was an American aviation pioneer, the "nation's first military aviator", and a general officer in the United States Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces.
Lahm developed an interest in flying from his father, a balloonist, and received among the first civil qualification certificates issued. He met the Wright Brothers in 1907 and used his interest in powered flight to become the Army's first certified pilot in 1909, followed four years later by becoming its 14th rated Military Aviator. In 1916 he became a career aviator, serving in the United States Army Air Service and its successors until his retirement in 1941 at the age of 64, rising to the rank of brigadier general.
Lahm reached mandatory retirement age on the eve of United States participation in World War II but contributed to the growth of the Air Force both during and following the war. Because of his leadership and administration during its construction, Lahm is also known as "the father of Randolph Field," and because of his lifelong devotion to aviation and aeronautical science, "the father of Air Force flight training".
SOURCE NOTE: All dates of rank and dates of Permanent Change of Station where shown are from AFHRA, Biographical Data on Air Force General Officers, 1917–1952, Volume 1 – A through L
Lahm was born on November 17, 1877, in Mansfield, Ohio, to Adelaide Way Purdy and Frank Samuel Lahm, owner of a hat shop. He was the grandson of Samuel Lahm, a Canton lawyer and Ohio congressman, and related through his grandmother to Daniel Webster. His mother died unexpectedly in March 1880 while giving birth to a third child, which also died shortly after. His father had been in poor health for five years, and on the advice of doctors, undertook a trip to Southern France, Italy, and Switzerland in October to improve his condition. Lahm, then two, and his four-year-old sister Katherine were left in the care of relatives. Soon after culminating his recovery by scaling the Matterhorn in August 1881, Frank S. Lahm became the European agent for the Remington Typewriter Company. He resided in Paris until his death in 1931. The elder Lahm kept his family connected to one another through frequent correspondence, visits, and educating each child for a year in France.
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