Riddick, Merrill K., 1895-1988

Merrill K. Riddick was born on March 7, 1895 in Madison, Wisconsin. He moved to eastern Montana at the age of 11. His father, Carl Riddick, served two terms as a U.S. Congressman for the Eastern District of Montana in 1919 and 1921. At the age of 16 Merrill K. Riddick began traveling throughout the Northwest and became interested in the emerging field of aviation. In 1917, Riddick was a member of the first graduating class from the Army Air Force Aeronautics School in San Diego, California. He was sent to Europe during World War I to serve as an instructor and to fly reconnaissance.

After the war, Riddick was among the first airmail pilots. Riddick and Charles A. Lindbergh barnstormed together and flew in the Harry Perkins Air Circus. While barnstorming Riddick met and married (on the same day) his wife, Helen May Williams, from West Virginia. They had three children. In 1928, Riddick was an instructor at the first aviation preparatory school in Rochester, New York, where he instructed future president Franklin D. Roosevelt. Riddick re-joined the Air Force during World War II and served as a technical instructor.

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