Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951

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Lincoln Ellsworth (b. May 12, 1880, Chicago, Illinois-d. May 26, 1951, New York City), American explorer, engineer, and scientist. Ellsworth led the first trans-Arctic (1926) and trans-Antarctic (1935) air crossings. He first attempted to fly over the North Pole in 1925 with Roald Amundsen. Their planes were forced down onto the ice short of their goal, and the explorers spent 30 days trapped on the surface. In 1926, Ellsworth accompanied Amundsen on his second effort to fly over the Pole in the airship Norge, designed and piloted by the Italian engineer Umberto Nobile, in a flight from Svalbard to Alaska. On May 12, they made the first undisputed sigthing of the Geographic North Pole.

Ellsworth made four expeditions to Antarctica between 1933 and 1939, attempting twice (in 1933 and 1934) to cross the continent before succeeding the following year. In all four, he used as his aircraft transporter and base a former Norwegian herring boat that he named Wyatt Earp after his hero. On November 23, 1935, Ellsworth discovered the Ellsworth Mountains of Antarctica when he made a trans-Antarctic flight from Dundee Island to the Ross Ice Shelf. He gave the descriptive name Sentinel Range, which was later named for the northern half of the Ellsworth Mountains. Ellsworth was a trustee of the American Museum of Natural History.

He studied both at Yale and Columbia University. After college he was a surveyor for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad. His true passion, however, was exploration. In 1925, he participated in his first Arctic expedition, which was to travel to the North Pole. It was the Amundsen-Ellsworth expedition, which only lasted 25 days although they never reached the North Pole. A year later, he tried the expedition to the North Pole again and finally reached it on May 12, 1926. He wanted to be the first to reach the North Pole, but the U.S. Navy beat him by three days. By the end of his career he traveled to Antarctica. On November 23, 1935, he successfully made his trans-Antarctic flight, becoming the first man to fly across Antarctica. On May 29, 1929, before he made his trans-Antarctic flight, he was honored the Congressional Gold Medal for his North Pole expedition. He died in New York City on May 26, 1951.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. Roald Amundsen : typescript / by Lincoln Ellsworth. The Mariners' Museum Library
referencedIn Arctic field photographs, 1926. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Publications National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. [Autobiography]. American Museum of Natural History
referencedIn Antarctic field photographs, 1934-1935. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Travel photographs, 1933-1934. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Douglas, Eric, 1902-1970. Papers, [not after 2003] [manuscript]. Libraries Australia
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Newspaper Clippings National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Artwork National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Byrd, Richard Evelyn, 1888-1957. Richard E. Byrd personal papers, 1882-1974. Ohio State University Libraries
referencedIn Monterey Public Library. California History Room. Biography clippings : "E" [surname] folder 1895-1999. Monterey Public Library
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. Papers, 1920-1952. Dartmouth College Library
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Diaries and Notebooks National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Garvan-Sheldon collection, 1796-1943 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Artwork National Archives at College Park
referencedIn New York Times Company records. Arthur Hays Sulzberger papers, 1823-1999 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Mariners' Museum (Newport News, Va.). Across Antarctica : an epic air adventure with notes on Byrd's second antarctic expedition : clippings from various newspapers from Feb. 1933 to Mar. 1939 / by Lincoln Ellsworth ; [compiled by] the Mariners' Museum. The Mariners' Museum Library
referencedIn Dustin, Frederick G. Logbook, 1933 October 11-1934 January 26. New Hampshire Newspaper Project
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. Collection 1925-1939. American Museum of Natural History
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Photographs and Maps National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. Preliminary report to the American Museum of Natural History / by Lincoln Ellsworth. American Museum of Natural History
referencedIn Earhart, Amelia, 1897-1937. The George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers, 1785-1948 (inclusive), 1928-1937 (bulk). Purdue University Library
referencedIn Lincoln Ellsworth collection, 1936 Scott Polar Research Institute
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. Letter, 1936 Apr. 24 [Los Angeles?] to Wm. H. Hobbs, Ann Arbor. University of Michigan
creatorOf Antarctic field photographs, 1939. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Expedition Papers National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Eric Douglas collection, 1929-1936 Scott Polar Research Institute
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. Telegram, 1941 [Dec.] Hobe Sound, Flo [i.e. Hope Sound, Fla.] to Prof. W.H. Hobbs [Ann Arbor]. University of Michigan
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. A set of Ellsworth pictures as prepared for his biography : Amundsen-Ellsworth expedition of 1925 and 1926. American Museum of Natural History
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Memorabilia National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Crosson, Joe, 1903-1949. Crosson Family Papers, 1920-1980. University of Alaska Fairbanks, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library
referencedIn Bernt Balchen Papers, 1917-1998, (bulk 1928-1980) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Borup, George, 1885-1912. Correspondence, 1908-1912. American Museum of Natural History
referencedIn Arctic and Antarctic exploration exhibition photographs, 1949. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers, 1921-1928 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Correspondence National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Holmboe, Jorgen, 1902-. Papers, 1929-1972 1934-1945. University of California, San Diego, UC San Diego Library; UCSD Library
referencedIn Sheldon, Charles, 1867-1928,. Garvan-Sheldon collection, 1796-1943 (inclusive). Yale University Library
referencedIn Colonel Bernt Balchen collection, 1903-2002. San Diego Aerospace Museum Library & Archives
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. Letter, 1939 Dec. 21, Los Angeles, to Prof. W.H. Hobbs, Ann Arbor. University of Michigan
referencedIn Special Films Collection: Expedition films, 1912-1960. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn George Wilkins collection, 1921-1935 Scott Polar Research Institute
referencedIn Douglas, Eric, 1902-1970. Log of voyage to Ross Sea [manuscript]. Libraries Australia
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. Lincoln Ellsworth papers, 1921-1928 (inclusive). Yale University Library
referencedIn Hasbrouck, Elsa. Papers, 1926. Dartmouth College Library
referencedIn Arctic field photographs, 1925. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Manuscripts National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Douglas, Eric, 1902-1970. Papers, 2002 [manuscript]. Libraries Australia
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth collection, 1936 Scott Polar Research Institute
referencedIn Trowbridge family. Papers, 1863-[19--]. Hudson Library & Historical Society
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. [Autobiography] [microform]. American Museum of Natural History
creatorOf Ellsworth, Lincoln, 1880-1951. Materials from the Lincoln Ellsworth Collection : transferred to the Library, January 24, 1956. American Museum of Natural History
referencedIn Luella Crawford Dodds papers, undated Hudson Library & Historical Society
creatorOf Lincoln Ellsworth Papers. 1896 - 1974. Books, Booklets, Pamphlets and Articles National Archives at College Park
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith American Museum of Natural History. corporateBody
associatedWith Amundsen-Ellsworth-Nobile Polar Flight (1926) corporateBody
associatedWith Amundsen-Ellsworth Polar Flight (1925) corporateBody
associatedWith Amundsen, Roald, 1872-1928 person
associatedWith Balchen, Bernt, 1899-1973. person
associatedWith Borup, George, 1885-1912. person
associatedWith Byrd, Richard Evelyn, 1888-1957. person
associatedWith Coolidge, Calvin, 1872-1933. person
associatedWith Crosson, Joe, 1903-1949. person
associatedWith Cross, Wilbur Lucius, 1862-1948. person
associatedWith Dawes, Charles Gates, 1865-1951. person
associatedWith Dodds, Luella Crawford, 1879-1978 person
associatedWith Douglas, Eric, 1902-1970. person
associatedWith Dustin, Frederick G. person
associatedWith Earhart, Amelia, 1897-1937. person
associatedWith Ellsworth Antarctic Expedition 1934-1935) corporateBody
associatedWith Ellsworth Expedition to Graham Land (1934-1934) corporateBody
associatedWith Ellsworth, Lincoln person
associatedWith Ellsworth Trans-Antarctic Flight Expedition (1933-1934) corporateBody
associatedWith George Hubert Wilkins person
associatedWith Gilbert Eric Douglas person
associatedWith Hasbrouck, Elsa. person
associatedWith Hobbs, William Herbert, 1864-1952. person
associatedWith Holmboe, Jorgen, 1902- person
associatedWith Kellogg, Frank Billings, 1856-1937. person
associatedWith Mill Hugh Robert 1861-1950 person
associatedWith Monterey Public Library. California History Room. corporateBody
associatedWith New York Times Company corporateBody
associatedWith Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945 person
associatedWith Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. person
associatedWith Sheldon, Charles, 1867-1928, person
correspondedWith Trowbridge family. family
Place Name Admin Code Country
North Pole
Arctic regions
Polar regions
Norway
Antarctica
Polar regions
Arctic regions
Polar regions
Antarctica
Antarctica
Subject
Arctic regions
Explorers
Geology
Penguins
Polar regions
Voyages and travels
Occupation
Explorers
Surveyors
Activity

Person

Birth 1880-05-12

Death 1951-05-26

Americans

English,

Norwegian

Information

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