Oliver George Simmons
Encyclopedia
Oliver George Simmons was a pioneering aviator with the Wright brothers
.
, on July 12, 1904 and they had two daughters: Olive Simmons; and a second daughter who married Tom Lovell. He attended Catholic University
, in Washington, DC and then returned to the Signal Corps to start his career in aeronautics. He reported to the Army Signal Corps on October 14, 1909, as a machinist and was the civilian member of the detachment which serviced the first Army Wright biplane at College Park, Maryland
when Wilbur Wright trained Lieutenants Frank Purdy Lahm and Frederick Erastus Humphreys. He traveled with Army airplane No. 1 when it was shown at the Chicago Electrical Trades Exposition and from there to Fort Sam Houston
where Lieutenant Benjamin Foulois
piloted the plane. Over the spring months of 1910 he built a wheeled landing gear for the machine to replace the skid and rail system of the Wrights. In the spring of 1911 the Signal Corps accepted the loan of a new model Wright from Robert J. Collier, which Lieutenant Foulois used. On July 4, 1912, Simmons and acting Mayor Garretson of Perth Amboy, New Jersey
flew a sack of mail from South Amboy, New Jersey
to Perth Amboy, the first air mail in New Jersey State history. In 1935 a bronze tablet was placed at the South Amboy post office to commemorate the event. For ten years, 1926 through 1936, he was president and general manager of the National Tool Company of Cleveland. He died at Bethesda Naval Hospital and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
on April 13, 1948.
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
.
Biography
He was born in Philadelphia in 1878 to Eller D. and George O. Simmons, and his sibling was Mary E. Simmons. He enlisted in the Signal Corps he served in the Philippines from 1899 to 1902. He married Dual Leaman of Rockville, MarylandRockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, on July 12, 1904 and they had two daughters: Olive Simmons; and a second daughter who married Tom Lovell. He attended Catholic University
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
, in Washington, DC and then returned to the Signal Corps to start his career in aeronautics. He reported to the Army Signal Corps on October 14, 1909, as a machinist and was the civilian member of the detachment which serviced the first Army Wright biplane at College Park, Maryland
College Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
when Wilbur Wright trained Lieutenants Frank Purdy Lahm and Frederick Erastus Humphreys. He traveled with Army airplane No. 1 when it was shown at the Chicago Electrical Trades Exposition and from there to Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
where Lieutenant Benjamin Foulois
Benjamin Foulois
Benjamin Delahauf Foulois , was a United States Army general who learned to fly the first military planes purchased from the Wright Brothers. He became the first military aviator as an airship pilot, and achieved numerous other military aviation "firsts"...
piloted the plane. Over the spring months of 1910 he built a wheeled landing gear for the machine to replace the skid and rail system of the Wrights. In the spring of 1911 the Signal Corps accepted the loan of a new model Wright from Robert J. Collier, which Lieutenant Foulois used. On July 4, 1912, Simmons and acting Mayor Garretson of Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
flew a sack of mail from South Amboy, New Jersey
South Amboy, New Jersey
South Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city population was 7,913.South Amboy, and Perth Amboy across the Raritan River, are collectively referred to as The Amboys...
to Perth Amboy, the first air mail in New Jersey State history. In 1935 a bronze tablet was placed at the South Amboy post office to commemorate the event. For ten years, 1926 through 1936, he was president and general manager of the National Tool Company of Cleveland. He died at Bethesda Naval Hospital and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
on April 13, 1948.