John Alexander Douglas McCurdy
| J.A.D. McCurdy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 20th (Post-Confederation) Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia | |
|
In office August 12, 1947 – September 1, 1952 |
|
| Monarch |
George VI Elizabeth II |
| Governor General |
The Viscount Alexander of Tunis Vincent Massey |
| Premier | Angus Lewis Macdonald |
| Preceded by | Henry Ernest Kendall |
| Succeeded by | Alistair Fraser |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 2, 1886 Baddeck, Nova Scotia |
| Died | June 25, 1961 (aged 74) Montreal, Quebec |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Millicent Ball m. first 20 Sept. 1881 Lucy O’Brien in Windsor, N.S., and they had three sons and a daughter; m. secondly 2 Oct. 1902 Hattie Maria Mace in Montreal, and they had two daughters and a son; d. 1923 in Washington, D.C. |
| Children | J.R.D. McCurdy (Son) Margaret Diana Haddon (daughter) |
| Profession | Aeronautical engineer, Aircraft designer, Pilot, Entrepreneur |
John Alexander Douglas McCurdy (August 2, 1886 – June 25, 1961) was a Canadian aviation pioneer and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1947 to 1952.
Born in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, McCurdy was known as "Douglas". He was schooled at St. Andrew's College in Aurora, Ontario and graduated from the University of Toronto in mechanical engineering in 1906, where he had been a member of The Kappa Alpha Society along with his friend Frederick W. Baldwin.
In 1907, he joined Alexander Graham Bell's Aerial Experiment Association. In 1908, McCurdy helped another AEA member, Glenn Curtiss to set up the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company.
After co-developer Frederick W. Baldwin first flew in 1908, on February 23, 1909, McCurdy became the first British subject to fly an aircraft in the British Empire when he piloted the Aerial Experiment Association's Silver Dart off the ice of Bras d'Or Lake in Nova Scotia. The Silver Dart was the first powered aircraft to fly in Canada. In 1910, he was the first Canadian to be issued a pilot's license and the following year, he made the first flight from Florida to Cuba. For the next few years, he continued to set aviation records in Canada and North America, until 1916, when vision problems grounded him.
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