Eaker, Ira, 1896-1987

Air Force officer.

From the description of Reminiscences of Ira Clarence Eaker : oral history, 1974. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122451540

From the description of Reminiscences of Ira Clarence Eaker : oral history, 1959. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 86147461

U.S. Army officer, U.S. Air Force officer, aviation pioneer, aircraft industry executive, and newspaper columnist.

From the description of Ira Eaker papers, 1917-1989 (bulk 1942-1945). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70981146

Biographical Note

• 1896, Apr. 13: Born, Field Creek, Tex.
• 1917: Joined Sixty-fourth Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army, El Paso, Tex.; appointed second lieutenant
• 1918: Flight instruction, Austin and Kelly Field, Tex.
• 1919 - 1921 : Second and Third Aero Squadrons, Philippine Islands; promoted to captain
• 1922 - 1923 : Commander, Fifth Aero Squadron and Post Adjutant, Mitchel Field, N.Y.
• 1923[?]: Married Leah Chase (divorced 1930)
• 1923 - 1924 : Studied contract law, Columbia University, New York, N.Y.
• 1924 - 1926 : Executive assistant, Office of Air Service, Washington, D.C.
• 1926 - 1927 : Pilot, Pan-American Goodwill flight around South America; received Distinguished Flying Cross
• 1927 - 1928 : Executive officer, Office of Assistant Secretary of War, Washington, D.C.
• 1928 - 1932 : Operations and line maintenance officer, Bolling Field, Washington, D.C.
• 1929, Jan. 1 - 7 : Chief pilot, "Question Mark" refueling endurance flight; received oak leaf cluster to Distinguished Flying Cross
• 1931: Married Ruth Apperson
• 1934: B.A., University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif. Commanded Air Mail Route 4, Western Zone, army air corps mail operations
• 1934 - 1935 : Commanded Thirty-fourth Pursuit Squadron and Seventeenth Pursuit Squadron, March Field, Calif.; promoted to major
• 1935 - 1936 : Attended Air Corps Tactical School, Maxwell Field, Ala.
• 1940: Promoted to lieutenant colonel
• 1940 - 1941 : Commander, Twentieth Pursuit Group, Hamilton, Tex.
• 1941 - 1942 : Special duty, Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) to observe and fly new types of fighter planes and to observe British fighter control methods, England
• 1942: Organized and commanded Eighth Bomber Command
• 1942 - 1944 : Commander, Eighth Air Force in England; commanding general, United States Army Air Forces in the United Kingdom
• 1944 - 1945 : Air commander in chief, Mediterranean Allied Air Forces
• 1945: Deputy commander, army air forces, and chief of air staff
• 1946: Promoted to lieutenant general retroactive to 1 Dec. 1944
• 1947: Retired from military service
• 1947 - 1957 : Vice president, Hughes Tool Co.; represented Hughes Tool Co. at Hughes Aircraft Company, Houston, Tex. (1947-1948) and Culver City, Calif. (1948-1957)
• 1957 - 1961 : Vice president, eastern office, Douglas Aircraft Co., Washington, D.C.
• 1961 - 1961 [?] : Chairman, Advisory Board, Hughes Aircraft Co.
• 1962 - 1980 : Wrote syndicated weekly newspaper column on national security issues
• 1972 - 1973 : First president, United States Strategic Institute, which published the Strategic Review; later vice chairman and member, board of directors
• 1985: Awarded fourth star; made a full general as a result of special legislation
• 1987, Aug. 6: Died, Camp Springs, Md.

From the guide to the Ira Eaker Papers, 1917-1989, (bulk 1942-1945), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)