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National Air and Space Museum Archives
Alfred W. Lawson Collection
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NASM.1999.0046
- Creators:
-
Lawson, Alfred W. (Alfred William), 1869-1954
- Dates:
-
[ca. 1920s-1940s]
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
1.33 Cubic feet(1 legal document box) (1 flatbox) (1 oversized folder)
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of the following secondary source material relating to Alfred Lawson: photographs, newspaper and magazine articles, biographical information, advertisements, and his published writings. There are also some large broadsides relating to his lectures on Lawsonomy.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Alfred William Lawson (1869-1954) was born in London, England. Three weeks after Lawson's birth his family moved to Ontario, Canada. In 1872 the family moved again, this time to Detroit Michigan, where they became American citizens. In 1908, after a career in baseball, Lawson settled in Philadelphia where he launched a popular aviation magazine entitled _Fly_. Two years later he moved to New York City and started another aviation magazine entitled _Aircraft_. When the United States entered World War I, Lawson established the Lawson Aircraft Corporation to build training planes for the Army. Two prototypes were built, but orders were not contracted before the War was over. Lawson then formed the Lawson Airplane Company to build aircraft for the Lawson Air Transportation Company. The Lawson C-2, which Lawson called an airliner, was completed in August 1919. The following week it traveled from Milwaukee to New York City and Washington, DC. In 1920, on the basis of the success of his first airliner, Lawson designed a larger aircraft. Completed in 1921, an attempt to takeoff from a small field resulted in a crash and the end of his company. In 1928 Lawson made another attempt to enter the airline industry with a 100 passenger design, but it was never completed. Lawson spent his remaining 23 years promoting his economic philosophy, 'Lawsonomy.'
Administration
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Vivian J. Smith, gift/transfer, 1999, 1999-0046, unknown
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Use
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
More Information
General
General
Additional material: Two posters from this collection were transferred to the National Air and Space Museum Aeronautics Division.
General
NASMrev
Keywords
National Air and Space Museum Archives
14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
NASMRefDesk@si.edu