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Published: 1937

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Typed, signed note America Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (born October 8, 1890; died July 27, 1973) was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines. After WWI he started the Rickenbacker Motor Company, selling technologically advanced cars incorporating innovations from automobile racing. The Rickenbacker came equipped with the first four-wheel brake system. The company had trouble selling its cars and eventually went bankrupt in 1927. Eventually, all vehicles manufactured in the US incorporated four-wheel braking. Rickenbacker's most lasting business endeavor was his longtime leadership of Eastern Air Lines. While vice president of sales for GM's affiliate, Fokker Aircraft Company Rickenbacker helped merged GM owned Eastern Air Transport and Florida Airways to form Eastern Air Lines, an airline that eventually grew from a company flying a few thousand miles per week into a major airline. In April 1938, after learning that GM was considering selling Eastern to John D. Hertz, Rickenbacker met with GM's Chairman of the Board, Alfred P. Sloan, and bought the company for $3.5 million. Rickenbacker was adamantly opposed to President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal policies, seeing them as little better than socialism. He harshly denounced the president's decision to rescind existing mail contracts in 1934 and have Army Air Corps pilots carry the air mail. At the time, Rickenbacker was vice president of one of the companies affected, Eastern Air Transport. When a number of inexperienced, undertrained army pilots were killed in crashes soon afterward, Rickenbacker stated, That's legalized murder! Photo retrieved from Wikipedia 7/12/2012.