Sold – Calvin Coolidge Presidential Appointment Marks Aviation Milestone

Although Coolidge was the last U.S. president never to fly in an airplane, he signed the key piece of legislation that established Federal regulation (and the policy of encouragement of aviation).

The Civil Aeronautics Act of 1926, in both its content and enactment, was a triumph of Coolidge’s philosophy of government and his often-overlooked political skills. Although by 1925 many people were looking to the sky, the U.S. had no national aviation policy. Several bills had been introduced in Congress to develop one, but each effort failed, due mainly to ego and lack of appreciation of aviation’s potential.

Gen. Billy Mitchell, a World War I flying hero and outspoken advocate for an independent air force, railed against what he termed the criminal neglect of aviation by the Coolidge Administration. But Coolidge had quietly come to believe in aviation and determined to succeed with an aviation bill, saying the Air Service was one “that holds promise, and I consider a very important adjunct to our national defenseÉI want to see it developed to the fullest.” Coolidge’s strategy to out-maneuver opponents was to ask widely-respected Wall Street banker Dwight Morrow to form a nine member President’s Aircraft Board (known to history as the Morrow Board) to investigate the status of aviation in the U.S. and report back to him.

On September 12, 1925 the Board members were appointed. One key selection was Congressman James S. Parker, a member (and future chairman) of the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, the committee which would have jurisdiction over any proposed legislation. The Board first met on September 27 and formally elected Morrow chairman. In gathering testimony, it called 99 witnesses, half of whom were fliers, and then issued a wide-ranging pro-aviation report which recommended that the government should set standards for civil aviation to enable it to flourish, and advocated that military aviation should be placed on a substantial footing.

The next hurdle Coolidge faced was getting an aviation bill through Congress, heretofore an impossible task. He took what was an unusual step for him: he summoned Congressional leaders to the White House and bluntly told them of his support of the Morrow Board’s report. “I am anxious to have legislation that carries that out,” he said. The bill’s sponsor was Cong. Parker, and much of its language was the work of William MacCracken, founder of the National Aeronautic Association and supporter of strong Federal aviation legislation.

As was characteristic, Coolidge said little about the aviation bill once it was introduced, but once passed he signed it on May 20, 1926. True to Coolidge’s intent, it encouraged the fast-growing field of civil aviation while providing the Federal government with sufficient authority to regulate its practices. The military aspects of the aviation controversy were also settled to the President’s liking. As the Morrow Board recommended, the Army Air Service ceased being treated like a step-child. It became the Army Air Corps and the important post of Assistant Secretary for Aviation was created in the War Department. The following is Coolidge’s original letter naming Cong. Parker, who would sponsor the bill, to the Morrow Board.

Typed Letter Signed as President on White House letterhead, one page 4to, Washington, September 12, 1925, to Parker. “Enclosed is a copy of a communication you may have seen in the press. I request that you serve in the capacity indicated and I would like you to meet me at the White House on Thursday, September 17th, at 11:00 in the afternoon, and lunch with me at 01:00. I feel that your efforts will result in bringing out the good qualities of the Air Services and in suggesting what action can be taken for their improvement.”

Placing aviation on a modern footing was one of the most important accomplishments of the Coolidge presidency, and showed his leadership at its best. It also belied the claim that he was a do-nothing president. The appointment of Parker to the Board was second in importance only to that of Morrow himself, as Parker played the key role in actually getting the legislation recommended by the Board through Congress. Thus this is about as crucial an appointment as Coolidge made.