| Mason M. Patrick | |
|---|---|
Mason Patrick |
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| Born | 1863 Lewisburg, West Virginia |
| Died | 1942 (aged 78–79) Washington, D.C. |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1886–1927 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held | Chief of the Air Service |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Other work | author Public Utilities Commissioner, District of Columbia |
Mason Mathews Patrick (December 13, 1863–January 29, 1942) was a U.S. Army general and air power advocate.
Patrick was born in Lewisburg, West Virginia and graduated from West Point in 1886. For three years he was at the Engineer School of Application, Willets Point, New York, graduating in 1889. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant shortly after graduation in July 1889.
From 1892 to 1895 he taught engineering at West Point. From 1897 to 1901 he was involved in Mississippi River improvements, and after two years in the office of the Chief of Engineers he returned to the West Point faculty in 1903. He was promoted to major in 1904. From 1907 to 1909 he was Chief Engineer for the Army of Cuban Pacification and then worked on river and harbor projects in Virginia from (1909–1912) and Michigan (1912–1916). (From 1910-1912, he was also a member of a board directing the raising of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor.) During this period he was promoted to lieutenant colonel (June 1910) and colonel (March 1916) and found himself in command of the 1st US Army Engineers serving on the U.S.-Mexico border in that same year.
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In 1917 he was sent to France. In September he was named Chief Engineer of Lines of Communication and Director of Construction and Forestry of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and was promoted to brigadier general (August 1917).
In May 1918 he was appointed by General John J. Pershing to command the combined Air Service of the AEF (May 1918) and subsequently promoted to temporary major (two star) general the following month (June 1918). He remained with the Air Service until June 1919, returning then to the U.S. and to various engineering duties, including Assistant Chief of Engineers in 1920.
In October 1921, he was appointed Chief of the Air Service with the permament rank of major general.[1] Under his direction the Air Service established experimental facilities at Wright Field, Ohio, and a large training facility at San Antonio, Texas. It was also here that he learned how to fly for the very first time in his life, receiving the rating of Junior Airplane Pilot. In 1925, he sat on the court martial of his former assistant, Colonel William Mitchell. As a result of urging by Mitchell and Patrick, among others, the Air Service was reorganized as the Air Corps in July 1926, receiving an additional degree of autonomy under an Assistant Secretary of War.
He was reappointed Chief of the Air Service in October 1925 and retired from the Army in December 1927. The following year he published "The U.S. In the Air". From 1929 to 1933 he was Public Utilities Commissioner for the District of Columbia.
He died in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 1942 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on January 31, 1942.
In 1944, U.S. Navy transport ship USS General M. M. Patrick (AP-150) was named in his honor. Patrick Air Force Base in Florida was named for him in 1950.
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| Preceded by Andrew Mellon |
Cover of Time Magazine 9 July 1923 |
Succeeded by James Couzens |