Westover, Oscar, 1883-1938

Oscar F. Westover enlisted as a private in the Army in 1901 and the following year won an appointment to the U. S. Military Academy. He was commissioned in the Infantry in 1906. After assignments in the Philippines, Washington, and Alaska, he transferred to the Signal Corps and then the aviation section. Westover attended the Air Service Airship School, the Air Service Primary Flying and Advanced Flying Schools, the Air Corps Tactical School, and Command and General Staff School. As a result of this schooling, Westover was awarded aeronautical ratings as a balloon observer, airship pilot, airplane pilot, and airplane observer. By 1931, he was appointed assistant to the chief of the Air Corps and promoted to brigadier general. General Westover succeeded Benjamin Foulois as chief of the Army Air Corps in 1935. He died at age 55 when the plane he was piloting burst into flames upon landing.

From the description of Oscar Westover collection, 1917-1951. (US Air Force Academy). WorldCat record id: 302423641

Oscar Westover (b. 1883, Bay City, Mich.-d. Sept. 21, 1938), U.S. Air Force officer, began military service as an enlisted man, then graduated from West Point in 1906. In 1920 he transferred to the Air Service, and after completing a variety of coursework in aviation, he rated as a balloon observer, airship pilot, airplane pilot, and airplane observer. During the 1920s, he served as executive in the Office of the Chief of the Air Service, and director of aircraft production in the Office of the Chief of the Air Corps. In 1931 he was appointed assistant to the chief of the Air Corps, and became chief in 1935. General Westover died in an airplane accident in California.

From the description of Westover, Oscar, 1883-1938 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10596063