Major Charles John Biddle (13 May 1890 – 22 March 1972) was an American aviator, attorney, and author. He was a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Postwar, he launched a career in law and wrote his memoirs.

Family and early life

Charles John Biddle was born on 13 May 1890 at

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

, the Biddle family estate near

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. His father was Charles Biddle (1857–1923) and mother was Letitia Glenn. His grandfather

Charles John Biddle Charles John Biddle (April 30, 1819 – September 28, 1873) was an American soldier, lawyer, congressman, and newspaper editor. Biography Biddle was born and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Nicholas Biddle, president of ...

(1819–1873) was a soldier in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

and subsequently a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. Andalusia was the estate of his great-grandfather, banker

Nicholas Biddle Nicholas Biddle (January 8, 1786February 27, 1844) was an American financier who served as the third and last president of the Second Bank of the United States (chartered 1816–1836). Throughout his life Biddle worked as an editor, diplomat, au ...

(1786–1844). He was an hereditary member of the

Aztec Club of 1847 The Aztec Club of 1847 is a military society founded in 1847 by United States Army officers of the Mexican–American War. It exists as a hereditary organization including members who can trace a direct lineal connection to those originally eligib ...

. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1911, and from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

three years later. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar, but interrupted his nascent career to serve in

World War I service

Biddle joined the

Lafayette Flying Corps The Lafayette Flying Corps is a name given to the American volunteer pilots who flew in the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) during World War I. It includes the pilots who flew with the bona fide Lafayette Escadrille squadron. Numbers The ...

in France on 8 April 1917. He was assigned to

Escadrille 73 ''Escadrille 73'' of the French Air Force originated at Corcieux on 23 May 1915 as Detachment N 49 during the World War I. History It was initially assigned to the ''VII Armee'' front. On 1 April 1916, it was renamed Detachment Nieuport de Corci ...

as a private on 28 July 1917, under the command and mentorship of Albert Deullin. He was promoted to corporal on 2 June and to sergeant on 1 December. Biddle initially fought several indecisive combats with a

Spad VII The SPAD S.VII was the first of a series of highly successful biplane fighter aircraft produced by ''Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) during the First World War. Like its successors, the S.VII was renowned as a sturdy and r ...

, but success evaded him until 5 December 1917. Flying a

SPAD XIII The SPAD S.XIII is a French biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War, developed by '' Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) from the earlier and highly successful SPAD S.VII. During early 1917, the French designer Louis ...

, he downed the Albatros two-seater of Leutnants Fritz Pauly and Ernst Sauter of FFA 45 despite a malfunction by both his Spad's machine guns. Biddle transferred to the American 103rd Aero Squadron on 10 January 1918 and was commissioned as a captain in the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps on 12 January 1918. He then reverted to the Spad VII for his 12 April win over a

Halberstadt CL.II The Halberstadt CL.II was a German two-seat escort fighter/ground attack aircraft of World War I. It served in large numbers with the German ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Army Air Service) in 1917-18. Development and design Early in ...

over

Corbeny Corbeny (; in the Middle Ages: Corbunei) is a Communes of France, commune in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The river Ailette (river), Ailette flows south through the northwestern pa ...

. He moved on to the 13th Aero Squadron (nicknamed "The Devil's Own Grim Reapers"). On 1 August, he shared his first two victories with

William Howard Stovall William Howard Stovall (18 February 1895 – 11 May 1970) was a WW1 flying ace and distinguished cotton farmer, who also served in WW2. He began his military career as a World War I pilot credited with six aerial victories and achieving the rank ...

, John Seerly, and H. B. Freeman. He shot down three more enemy planes afterwards-his 5th official credit was a Rumpler CIV of Fliegerabteilung 46LB {pilot Eichler {POW} observer Gröschel {DOW} August 16, 1918. He was at one point entrusted with the only

SPAD XII The SPAD S.XII or SPAD 12 was a French single-seat biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War developed from the successful SPAD VII by Louis Béchereau, chief designer of the Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD). Development ...

issued to Americans. He was promoted to the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 1 November and was given command of the

4th Pursuit Group The 4th Pursuit Group was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, Second United States Army. It was demobilized in France on 15 April 1919. There is no modern United ...

. He returned to the United States on 19 December and was discharged from the Army on 25 January. In recognition of his service, the French awarded him both the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and the ''

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

'', and he received the American

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

and the Belgian

Order of Leopold II The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as Sovereign of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgi ...

. After the war, Biddle wrote a book entitled ''The Way of the Eagle''.

Legal career

Biddle initially practiced law in the Drexel Building with his father's firm. Following his father's death, he joined the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

Drinker Biddle & Reath Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, also known as Faegre Drinker, is a full-service international law firm and one of the 50 largest law firms headquartered in the United States. Faegre Drinker provides legal counseling and litigation to a wide range ...

(not using that name at the time) in 1924. He was the firm's first lateral partner and brought clients that included the

Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire The Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire is the oldest property insurance company in the United States. It was organized by Benjamin Franklin in 1752, and incorporated in 1768. The Contributionship's build ...

(founded by

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

) and the

Philadelphia Savings Fund Society The Philadelphia Savings Fund Society (PSFS), originally called the Philadelphia Saving Fund Society, was a savings bank headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. PSFS was founded in December 1816, the first savings bank to organ ...

. Biddle became a partner in 1925 and was a major force at the firm for decades. In the 1950s, he led the defense of

Merck Sharp & Dohme Merck & Co., Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and is named for Merck Group, founded in Germany in 1668, of whom it was once the American arm. The company does business as Merck Sharp ...

in a major case concerning price-fixing. At a trial in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Thomas E. Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...

who represented Eli Lilly. Biddle also sued the U. S. government on behalf of three widows who lost their husbands in a

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

crash in 1948. This case was the first in which the government claimed national security privileges for its documents, as the B-29 was carrying out experiments with radar control of airborne drones. The case was settled without the government production of documents. In 2003, partner Wilson M. Brown IIIBrown's firm bio from Drinker Biddle & Reath
/ref> used the Charles Biddle case to establish a precedent to reopen a case on behalf of the survivors of the scientists killed in a 1948 B-29 crash. The US government still claimed national security for its defense. The U. S. Supreme Court examined its own prior decision of the case; the government claim was exposed as a fraudulent one used to cover up neglect in maintenance and poor air crew training as the cause of the accident. He died in 1972.

Honors and awards

Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) citation The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Charles John Biddle, Captain (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action in the region of Damvillers, France, September 26, 1918. During an engagement between 11 Spads and 12 enemy Fokkers, Captain Biddle, perceiving a comrade in distress from the attack of two planes, dived upon them and by his fire forced them to withdraw. His prompt action saved the life of his comrade, who was in imminent danger of being shot to the ground. (General Orders No. 60, W.D., 1920) Ordre de Léopold citation For extraordinary heroism in action on 12 April 1918 near Corbeny, France, and on 15 May 1918, near Ypres, Belgium. Captain Biddle has daily shown himself an excellent and remarkable example of courage, energy and skill, leading his pilots to the attack at every opportunity and making his flight a most efficient one. On 12 April, he attacked and destroyed an enemy two-seater which crashed between the trenches at Corbeny. On 15 May, while leading his patrol, he attacked, at very low altitude and far within the enemy lines, an enemy two-seater, killing the observer and forcing him down. A few minutes later he engaged a second enemy plane at very close range. Wounded in his leg, his plane and motor riddled, Captain Biddle was forced to land in 'No Man's Land' less than 70 yards from the German trenches in the region of Ypres. With remarkable courage and presence of mind and despite his wound, he detached himself from his smashed machine and made his way from shell hole under intense artillery, machine gun and rifle fire, to an advanced British Observation post. French Croix de Guerre citation, 4 June 1918 Pilot of marvelous spirit. Attacked two enemy two-seaters successfully behind their lines, probably shooting down the first. Wounded and disabled in the course of the second combat, by sheer strength he succeeded in landing in no man's land and after passing the day in a shell hole, by night he got back to the Allied trenches.

References

External links