Draft:John Harding IV

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John Richard Harding IV (June 2, 1896 - May 26, 1968) was a pioneer American aviator.

John Richard Harding IV was born June 2, 1896 in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of John Richard Harding III (1867-1931) and Roberta née Chase (1874-1962).[1] He was also known as Jack Harding or John Harding Jr.[2] His grandfather was William Giles Harding, a Brigadier General in the Tennessee militia before the American Civil War.

Harding attended The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, after graduating he enrolled at Vanderbilt University.[1] When he was unable to pay the tuition fees at the university he moved to Detroit where he worked as a mechanic at the Chalmers Motor Car Company.

In 1917 he returned to Vanderbilt however when the United States entered World War I he enlisted in the Army Air Service. Harding attended the Aviation Mechanics Training School, and was promoted to sergeant with a Master Signal Electrician rating.[1]

In 1919, in a plane piloted by Lt. Ernest Harman, they successfully accomplished the first aerial circumnavigation of the United States.[1]

Harding was one of four Army Air Service officers that completed the first aerial circumnavigation world flight in 1924.[3] Lt. Harding was the co-pilot of the Douglas World Cruiser: New Orleans[4]. He and the other aviators were all awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the French Legion of Honour[5] and the Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure for the first circumnavigation of the earth by air.[6]

In 1925 Harding married Blondena Hazel Carstens (1895-1984) of Davenport, Iowa.

In 1926 he joined Florida Airways, flying mail between Tampa, Jacksonville and Atlanta. When the airline folded in June 1927, he was employed as a field representative of the Boeing Company. In the 1930s, he worked as the European representative for Pump Engineering Service Corporation.[7] In 1942, Harding moved to Dallas where, with his brother, William Giles, they formed Harding Devices Company, which manufactured aircraft components.[8] The company's electric values were used in the Boeing B-29 Superfortress during World War II.[1]

Harding died on May 26, 1968 in La Jolla, California, at age 72.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wills II, Ridley (20 December 2023). "The Tales of Smiling Jack Harding". The Contributor. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Nashville Welcomes Famous Flier Home". The Nashville Banner. 24 December 1924. pp. 1, 10. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Lieut. John Harding Here For The Holidays". The Nashville Banner. 18 August 1924. p. 3. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  4. ^ Thomas, Lowell; Smith, Lowell H. (1925). The First World Flight (1st ed.). Boston: Boston Houghton Mifflin. p. 46. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  5. ^ Thomas, Lowell; Smith, Lowell H. (1925). The First World Flight (1st ed.). Boston: Boston Houghton Mifflin. p. 325. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Lieut. Harding, World Flier, Honored by Japs". The Tennessean. 12 November 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Many Nashville Business Heads Converge". The Nashville Banner. 14 May 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Nashville Recalls First World Flight". The Tennessean. 29 September 1943. p. 1. Retrieved 21 December 2023.


Category:1896 births Category:1968 deaths Category:Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tennessee) alumni Category:Military personnel from Nashville, Tennessee Category:American aviation record holders Category:Aviation pioneers Category:Flight endurance record holders Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)

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