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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 Staunton is the second largest city in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 5,054. History Name origins A man named Stanton bought land in the area, and then decided to move on and gave the land to ...

, on October 15, 1884. He moved with his parents to

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

. 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 in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County, Alabama, Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the Gulf Coastal Plain, coas ...

, and Hoxsey was a teacher there. There he became the first pilot to fly at night. On October 11, 1910, at

Kinloch Field Kinloch can refer to: People * Kinloch Baronets * Billy Kinloch (1874–1931), American baseball player * Bobby Kinloch (1935–2014), Scottish football player * Bruce Kinloch, author * Sir Francis Kinloch, 3rd Baronet (1676–1747), scion o ...

in St. Louis 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 altitude ...

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 List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, after crashing from while trying to set a new altitude record. The Wright Brothers paid for the funeral. Contemporary sources, including

Roy Knabenshue Augustus Roy Knabenshue (July 15, 1876 – March 6, 1960) was an American aeronautical engineer and aviator. Biography Roy Knabenshue was born July 15, 1876, in Lancaster, Ohio, the son of Salome Matlack and Samuel S. Knabenshue. Samue ...

, blamed his death on " mountain sickness".AVIATORS BLAME 'MOUNTAIN SICKNESS' FOR DEATH OF DARING YOUNG HOXSEY
in '' The Tacoma Times''; published January 2, 1902; via ''

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 End ...

'' 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

, 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; 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 Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

, 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 List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...

; 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

Biography

Death

References

External links

Further reading