Hawthorne C. Gray
| Hawthorne C. Gray | |
|---|---|
Gray (center) prior to his final altitude record attempt.
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| Born |
February 16, 1889 Pasco, Washington |
| Died | November 4, 1927 (aged 38) Near Sparta, Tennessee |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1915-1927 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
Hawthorne Charles Gray (February 16, 1889 – November 4, 1927) was a captain in the United States Army Air Corps. On November 4, 1927, he succeeded in setting a new altitude record in a silk, rubberized, and aluminum-coated balloon launched from Scott Field near Belleville, Illinois, reaching 42,470 ft (12.94 km), but died during his descent after his oxygen supply became depleted. The record was recognized by the National Aeronautical Association, but not by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale because the dead aeronaut "was not in personal possession of his instruments." Gray was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his three ascents on March 9, May 4 and November 4.
Gray was born on February 16, 1889 in Pasco, Washington. He was the son of William Polk Gray (1845-1929), a prominent steamboat captain in the Northwestern United States, and Oceana Falkland Bush. Hawthorne Gray was a graduate of the University of Idaho.
Gray served as an officer in the Idaho National Guard and enlisted in the United States Army in 1915, serving as an infantry private in the Pancho Villa Expedition of 1916. Gray was commissioned a second lieutenant on June 2, 1917, and transferred with the rank of captain to what was then the United States Army Air Service in 1920. He began piloting balloons in 1921. He placed third in the 1926 National Balloon Race and second in the 1926 Gordon Bennett balloon race.
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