Norman Prince
| Norman Prince | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
August 31, 1887 Beverly, Massachusetts, USA |
| Died | October 15, 1916 (aged 29) Corcieux, Lorraine, France |
| Buried at | National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., USA |
| Allegiance | USA, France |
| Service/branch | French Aviation Service |
| Years of service | August 1915-1916 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Awards | Croix de Guerre Médaille Militaire Croix de la Légion d'Honneur |
Norman Prince (August 31, 1887 – October 15, 1916) was a leading founder of France's Lafayette Escadrille.
He was born on August 31, 1887 in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Prince attended the Groton School, graduated Harvard College, cum laude in 1908 and Harvard Law School in 1911.
Prince, under the alias 'George Manor' to conceal his flight training from his father, was the 55th American to be licensed to fly an airplane by the Aero Club of America. He passed his test on August 28, 1911 at Squantum, Massachusetts flying a Burgess with a Wright motor.
Norman was son of Frederick Henry Prince and had graduated from Harvard Law School and was practicing law in Chicago when he joined a group to build and race a plane in the Gordon Bennett Cup Race. They hired Starling Burgess to build their plane in his boat yard in Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1912. Norman's family owned an estate in Pau, France "Villa Ste. Helene", and Norman spoke fluent French.
Norman sailed to France in January 1915 and finally persuaded the French to allow the founding of the American Escadrille (squadron) in April 1916.
Captain Georges Thenault, the Escadrille's commander, credits Norman for conceiving the idea of bringing together his countrymen with some of those of the French Foreign Legion in a squadron of flyers to be initially known as the Escadrille Américaine. He formed the squadron with William Thaw II, Elliot C. Cowdin, Frazier Curtis, and Greeley S. Curtis, Jr. Elliott C. Cowdin, in an article which he published in the Harvard Alumni Bulletin (March 7, 1918) gave the full credit for the formation of this flying corps and for its incorporation in the French flying service to the energy and persistence of Norman Prince.
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