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John Richard Harding IV (June 2, 1896 - May 26, 1968) was a pioneer American aviator.
John Richard Harding IV was born June 2, 1896 in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of John Richard Harding III (1867-1931) and Roberta née Chase (1874-1962). [1] He was also known as Jack Harding or John Harding Jr. [2] His grandfather was William Giles Harding, a Brigadier General in the Tennessee militia before the American Civil War.
Harding attended The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, after graduating he enrolled at Vanderbilt University. [1] When he was unable to pay the tuition fees at the university he moved to Detroit where he worked as a mechanic at the Chalmers Motor Car Company.
In 1917 he returned to Vanderbilt however when the United States entered World War I he enlisted in the Army Air Service. Harding attended the Aviation Mechanics Training School, and was promoted to sergeant with a Master Signal Electrician rating. [1]
In 1919, in a plane piloted by Lt. Ernest Harman, they successfully accomplished the first aerial circumnavigation of the United States. [1]
Harding was one of four Army Air Service officers that completed the first aerial circumnavigation world flight in 1924. [3] Lt. Harding was the co-pilot of the Douglas World Cruiser: New Orleans [4]. He and the other aviators were all awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the French Legion of Honour [5] and the Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure for the first circumnavigation of the earth by air. [6]
In 1925 Harding married Blondena Hazel Carstens (1895-1984) of Davenport, Iowa.
In 1926 he joined Florida Airways, flying mail between Tampa, Jacksonville and Atlanta. When the airline folded in June 1927, he was employed as a field representative of the Boeing Company. In the 1930s, he worked as the European representative for Pump Engineering Service Corporation. [7] In 1942, Harding moved to Dallas where, with his brother, William Giles, they formed Harding Devices Company, which manufactured aircraft components. [8] The company's electric values were used in the Boeing B-29 Superfortress during World War II. [1]
Harding died on May 26, 1968 in La Jolla, California, at age 72. [1]
Category:1896 births
Category:1968 deaths
Category:Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tennessee) alumni
Category:Military personnel from Nashville, Tennessee
Category:American aviation record holders
Category:Aviation pioneers
Category:Flight endurance record holders
Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)