Towers, John H. (John Henry), 1885-1955

Naval officer and pioneer aviator.

From the description of John H. Towers papers, 1830-1989 (bulk 1906-1955). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70983461

Biographical Note

• 1885, Jan. 30: Born, Rome, Ga.
• 1906: Graduated United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
• 1907 - 1908 : Served aboard the battleship Kentucky as part of the Great White Fleet circumnavigating the globe
• 1909 - 1911 : Helped outfit the battleship Michigan for a transatlantic voyage
• 1911: Ordered to take flying lessons offered to the navy by Glenn H. Curtiss, Hammondsport, N.Y. Established navy's first air installation at Greenbury Point near Annapolis, Md.
• 1912: Tested new aircraft, Curtiss Flying School, North Island, San Diego, Calif.
• 1913: Survived crash over Chesapeake Bay near St. Michaels, Md., that led to development of seat belts for airplanes Designated Naval Aviator Number Three (actually was second naval officer to receive his wings) Commanded first air unit in fleet maneuvers in the Caribbean from Guantanamo, Cuba
• 1914: Executive officer, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla. Commanded four-plane air unit aboard the battleship Mississippi and the cruiser Birmingham, Veracruz, Mexico Assistant naval attaché, American embassy, London, England, to observe airplane and airship developments
• 1915: Married Elizabeth Haseltine "Lily" Carstairs (divorced 1923)
• 1915 - 1916 : Acting naval attaché, London, England
• 1916: Commanded naval aviation, office of the chief of naval operations (later designated supervisor of the Naval Aviation Flying Corps)
• 1917: Assistant director of naval aviation Mobilized American naval air forces for World War I
• 1919: Promoted to lieutenant commander Commanded Seaplane Division One which made the first transatlantic flight (only the NC-4 plane was successful)
• 1919 - 1920 : Executive officer, aircraft tender Aroostook Senior aide to Pacific Air Detachment commander Captain Henry C. Mustin, San Diego, Calif.
• 1920: Commanded the tender Mugford Received the Navy Cross
• 1921 - 1923 : Executive officer, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla.
• 1923 - 1925 : Assistant naval attaché concurrently in London, England; Paris, France; Rome, Italy; the Hague, Netherlands; and Berlin, Germany
• 1925 - 1926 : Bureau of Aeronautics, Washington, D.C.
• 1926 - 1927 : Executive officer, first aircraft carrier, Langley
• 1927 - 1928 : Commanded the Langley
• 1928 - 1929 : Head, Plans Division, Bureau of Aeronautics, Washington, D.C.
• 1929 - 1931 : Assistant chief, Bureau of Aeronautics
• 1930: Married Marie-Louise-Anne-Pierrette (Pierrette Anne) "Pierre" Chauvin de Grandmont Promoted to captain
• 1931 - 1933 : Chief of staff, Battle Force Aircraft (carrier) commander Rear Admiral Harry E. Yarnell aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga
• 1933 - 1934 : Attended Naval War College, Newport, R.I. Assigned Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I.
• 1934 - 1936 : Commanded Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, Calif.
• 1936 - 1937 : Chief of staff, Battle Force Aircraft (carrier) commander Vice Admiral Frederick J. Horne aboard the Saratoga
• 1937 - 1938 : Commanded the Saratoga
• 1938 - 1939 : Assistant chief, Bureau of Aeronautics
• 1939: Promoted to rear admiral
• 1939 - 1942 : Chief, Bureau of Aeronautics Mobilized American naval air forces for World War II Member, Joint Chiefs of Staff
• 1942 - 1944 : Commander, United States Naval Air Forces, Pacific Fleet, as a vice admiral Aviation advisor, Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
• 1944: Deputy Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas Awarded Legion of Merit
• 1945: Awarded Navy Distinguished Service Medal Commander, Main Fleet Headquarters, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Commander, Second Carrier Task Force Commander, Task Force Thirty-eight off Japan aboard the aircraft carrier Shangri-La Commander, Fifth Fleet, aboard the battleship New Jersey as an admiral
• 1946 - 1947 : Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas aboard the aircraft carrier Bennington at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
• 1947: Chairman, General Board, Navy Department Retired from the navy
• 1948 - 1953 : Vice president, Pan American Airways
• circa 1952 - 1954 : Member, Public Policy Committee of the Institute of War and Peace Studies
• 1953 - 1955 : President, Flight Safety Foundation, New York, N.Y.
• 1955, Apr. 30: Died, St. Albans, N.Y.

From the guide to the John H. Towers Papers, 1830-1989, (bulk 1906-1955), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)