Jacques de Lesseps
Encyclopedia
Jacques Benjamin de Lesseps was a French aviator born in Paris on 5 July 1883, killed in an air accident presumably on 18 October 1927 along with his flight engineer Theodor Chichenko. He was the son of French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps
. In 1910 he married Grace Mackenzie, daughter of Sir Willam Mackenzie
.
De Lesseps served with distinction in the French Air Force, commanding a squadron. He joined the Compagnie Aerienne Franco-Canadienne in air survey work after the war. He and his flight engineer were lost at sea during air photography operations along the Gaspé coastline in October 1927.
A cairn erected to his memory exists near Gaspé, Quebec
. It records that de Lesseps was the second man to fly the English Channel by airplane. He was a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, held the Croix de Guerre and the United States Distinguished Service Cross
.
Ferdinand de Lesseps
Ferdinand Marie, Vicomte de Lesseps, GCSI was the French developer of the Suez Canal, which joined the Mediterranean and Red Seas in 1869, and substantially reduced sailing distances and times between the West and the East.He attempted to repeat this success with an effort to build a sea-level...
. In 1910 he married Grace Mackenzie, daughter of Sir Willam Mackenzie
William Mackenzie (railway entrepreneur)
Sir William Mackenzie was a Canadian railway contractor and entrepreneur.Born near Peterborough, Ontario, Mackenzie became a teacher and politician before entering business as the owner of a sawmill and gristmill in Kirkfield, Ontario...
.
De Lesseps served with distinction in the French Air Force, commanding a squadron. He joined the Compagnie Aerienne Franco-Canadienne in air survey work after the war. He and his flight engineer were lost at sea during air photography operations along the Gaspé coastline in October 1927.
A cairn erected to his memory exists near Gaspé, Quebec
Gaspé, Quebec
Gaspé is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the city had a total population of 14,819....
. It records that de Lesseps was the second man to fly the English Channel by airplane. He was a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, held the Croix de Guerre and the United States Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
.