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Archibald Hoxsey (October 15, 1884 – December 31, 1910) was an American aviator who worked for the
Wright brothers.
Biography
Hoxsey was born in
Staunton, Illinois, on October 15, 1884. He moved with his parents to
Pasadena, California. In his early twenties he worked as an auto mechanic and chauffeur. By 1909-1910 his mechanical ability led to a meeting with the
Wright Brothers. In March 1910 the Wright brothers opened a
flight school
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills.
Flight training can be conducted under a str ...
in
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
, and Hoxsey was a teacher there. There he became the first pilot to fly at night.
On October 11, 1910, at
Kinloch Field in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
he took
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
up in an airplane.
Because of their dueling altitude record attempts, he and
Ralph Johnstone
Ralph Greenley Johnstone (September 18, 1880 – November 17, 1910) was the first American person to die while piloting an airplane that crashed. He and Archibald Hoxsey were known as the "heavenly twins" for their attempts to break altitud ...
were nicknamed the "heavenly twins".
On December 26, 1910, Hoxsey set a
flight altitude record
This listing of flight altitude records are the records set for the highest aeronautical flights conducted in the atmosphere, set since the age of ballooning.
Some, but not all of the records were certified by the non-profit international avia ...
of .
Hoxsey was to participate in the 22nd annual
Tournament of Roses
The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Mon ...
Parade, on January 2, 1911, sitting upon a float replica of the plane he set the flight altitude record in.
Death
Hoxsey died on December 31, 1910, in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, after crashing from while trying to set a new altitude record. The Wright Brothers paid for the funeral.
Contemporary sources, including
Roy Knabenshue, blamed his death on "
mountain sickness".
[AVIATORS BLAME 'MOUNTAIN SICKNESS' FOR DEATH OF DARING YOUNG HOXSEY]
in ''The Tacoma Times
''The Tacoma Times'' was a newspaper published in Tacoma, Washington from 1903 to 1949. It was founded by E. W. Scripps, with editorial personnel taken from ''the Seattle Star''.[Chronicling America
''Chronicling America'' is an open access, open source newspaper database and companion website. It is produced by the United States National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a partnership between the Library of Congress and the National Endo ...]
''
He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery,
Atkinson, Nebraska
Atkinson is a city in Holt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,245 at the 2010 census.
History
The first settlement at Atkinson was made ''circa'' 1875. Atkinson was platted in 1880, when the railroad was extended to that point ...
, in the same grave as his father, Archibald Hoxsey Sr.
References
External links
Archibald Hoxsey bibliographyNorth Dakota first flight; transcript of July 19 2006 radio broadcastVideo of flight with Theodore Roosevelt in 1910Photo of Arch Hoxsey & President Roosevelt seated in Wright Flyer prior to their flight various photos, some rare, of the flight with Teddy
Further reading
*''The New York Times,'' August 20, 1910: Airmen Play Tag With Moonbeams; Hoxsey And Johnstone Unexpectedly Make Two Night Flights At Asbury Park.
Asbury Park, New Jersey, August 19, 1910. With no one to watch them save the night birds and a few invited friends. Arch Hoxsey and Ralph Johnstone, the young Wright airmen, winged their way up among the moonbeams between 10:00 and 10:30 o'clock tonight.
*''The New York Times,'' October 9, 1910: Flight Of 104 Miles Is Made By Hoxsey; In Wright Biplane He Goes From Springfield To St. Louis With A Detour.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
; October 8, 1910. After making the longest continuous aeroplane flight recorded in America, Arch Hoxsey, who soared aloft in a Wright biplane at
Springfield, Illinois, at 11:56 this morning, landed upon the lawn of the St. Louis Country Club shortly before 3 o'clock this afternoon, Although the distance to St. Louis from Springfield is only 88 miles, Hoxsey made a detour that brought his continued flight up to 104 miles.
*''The New York Times,'' Sunday, January 1, 1911: Wrights Deplore Hoxsey. He Was One Of The Most Promising And Intrepid Of Aviators, They Say.
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...
; December 31, 1910. The announcement of the death of Arch Hoxsey at Los Angeles today came as a terrible shock to Wilbur and Orville Wright, but they emphatically declared that they did not care to discuss the accident until they had heard further details and had received a statement of the conditions under which it occurred from some experienced aviator who witnessed it.
*''Time,'' Monday, June 11, 1928: Theodore Roosevelt seated in a plane which was of the "pusher" type: Beneath the picture is the following notation: "Colonel Roosevelt in a Wright Aeroplane at St. Louis. Archibald Hoxsey, who carried the Colonel twice around the Park, a distance of 4½ miles, is seen talking to Mr. Roosevelt, who was most enthusiastic over his experience, declaring he never felt a bit of fear. This picture shows the Colonel as he took his seat. Before starting he took off his hat and put on a cap."
*John H. Zobel, Stardust Falling: Arch Hoxsey and Ralph Johnstone. In AAHS Journal, Volume 61, Number 2, Summer 2016, pages 89–99.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoxsey, Archibald
1884 births
1910 deaths
Wright brothers
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
People from Staunton, Illinois
Accidental deaths in California
Aviation in North Dakota
Flight altitude record holders
Members of the Early Birds of Aviation
American aviation record holders
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1910