National Air and Space Museum Archives

Najeeb E. Halaby Collection

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.2004.0004
Creators:
Halaby, Najeeb E., 1915-
Dates:
undated
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
10.43t Cubic feet
(18 box)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection consists of newspaper clippings, video tapes, photographs, scrapbooks, speeches, correspondence, and certificates relating to the aviation career of Najeeb Halaby.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Najeeb E. Halaby (1915-2003), born to a Lebanese-Syrian father and a American mother, made his first flight in at Mines Field in 1932. Halaby went on to study at Stanford (degree granted in Political Science in 1937) and at Yale (law degree in 1940). During World War II, Halaby worked as a US Navy test pilot, and he flew the first operational American jet plane. In 1945, Halaby become the first person to make a nonstop, transcontinental jet flight. After the war, Halaby worked for the Office of Research and Intelligence under President Harry Truman and served as deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs for the Eisenhower administration. In the late 1950s, Halaby campaigned for John F. Kennedy, who appointment him head of the Federal Aviation Administration in 1961. During his four years with the FAA, he oversaw the modernization of the American air traffic control system, introduced security measures at airports to prevent skyjacking and desegregated all American air terminals. He joined Pan Am as a senior vice-president in 1965, becoming the chairman in 1970. His tenure at Pan Am was stormy and ended in his enforced resignation in 1973, after the most disastrous financial run in the airline's history and with the company's workforce demoralized. After leaving Pan Am, Halaby was invited to Jordan, where he met with King Hussein and helped to create an Arab Air Academy. Halaby's daughter, Lisa, married King Hussein in 1978. After his retirement, Halaby served on various public and charitable institutions and he carried on flying into his eighties.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Najeeb E. Halaby, gift, 2003

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access.
Preferred Citation
Najeeb E. Halaby Collection, Acc. 2004-0004, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
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

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photographs Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics, Commercial Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics -- Law and legislation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Articles Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Certificates Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Videotapes Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal Aviation Administration Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pan American World Airways, Inc. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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