Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 12-1-2007 Flights Past: The Wright Brothers’ Legacy and Dayton, Ohio James Clayton Johnson Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Johnson, James Clayton, "Flights Past: The Wright Brothers’ Legacy and Dayton, Ohio" (2007). Dissertations. 879. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/879 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLIGHTS PAST: THE WRIGHT BROTHERS’ LEGACY AND DAYTON, OHIO by James Clayton Johnson A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History Dr. Kristin Szyvian, Advisor Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. FLIGHTS PAST: THE WRIGHT BROTHERS’ LEGACY AND DAYTON, OHIO James Clayton Johnson, Ph.D. Western Michigan University, 2007 During the early twentieth century, Wilbur and Orville Wright faced a lengthy struggle over their recognition as the inventors of the airplane. This controversy still lingers today. Even their hometown, Dayton, Ohio, where the brothers spent years engineering and perfecting the airplane, hesitated in acknowledging their success. Promoted by a small group of individuals from the Smithsonian Institution, a decades long struggle ensued over who first invented an aircraft capable of powered flight. During the “Smithsonian controversy,” the institution embarked on a long and dangerous path of using its status as the nation’s museum in an attempt to rewrite history. The ensuing battle with the Smithsonian Institution as well as other first flight claims left the Wright brothers’ legacy in doubt. As a result, the Wright brothers engaged in a lifelong fight to protect and assure their rightful place in history. The brothers’ drive to protect their legacy and Dayton’s failure to recognize its aviation roots came together to leave aviation’s birthplace without a focal point to commemorate the Wrights. Today, the Wrights’ story is told in Dayton and North Carolina in part by the National Park Service, and at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. However, preoccupied with its industrial development and recovery from a devastating 1913 flood, Dayton took nearly a century to fully recognize its Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. historic links to the Wright brothers and its aviation history. To analyze how the Wrights’ concern over their legacy and Dayton’s neglect of its heritage are linked, a chronological survey of the influencing events, trends, and ramifications is presented. The examined issues are often defined by political, social, cultural, and economic factors. How these factors shaped a definable evolutionary process in the connection between the Wrights’ legacy and Dayton’s commemoration of the Wrights are explored. The findings illustrate that the Smithsonian set a dangerous precedent by using its power as the nation’s museum to advance its version of history. Repercussions from the Smithsonian controversy are seen in Dayton as Orville took the steps he felt were needed to assure the brothers’ legacy in the United States. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3293176 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3293176 Copyright 2008 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by James Clayton Johnson 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS One constant that has endured through my long journey as a “non-traditional” student is the guidance, encouragement, and patience of numerous people. I am amazed, and thankful, at how much support I received from everyone involved. I leave my days as a student with the deepest appreciation to those that selflessly shared their knowledge, enthusiasm, and advice with me. My supervisor, Dr. Kristin M. Szylvian, has my sincerest gratitude for her years of tireless assistance. Her challenging insight and perspective has proven invaluable as I embark on a new career. I am truly indebted to Dr. Szylvian and Dr. Michael J. Chiarappa as I feel their years of advice, compassion, and direction has made me a better public historian. Dr. Chiarappa’s scholarly guidance and participation on my committee played an integral role in completing my dissertation. I am also appreciative of Dr. R. Patrick Norris’s advice while serving on my committee. Dr. Norris’s professional experience proved to be a valuable asset for me, especially as I prepared for my defense. I am additionally thankful to Dr. Michael S. Nassaney for his willingness to serve on my committee with little notice and that he was still able to take the time to provide critical advice and mentoring. A portion of my dissertation’s subject matter arose from a class I took early on in my career at Western Michigan University from Drs. Chiarappa and Nassaney. It was their comments that helped shaped my interest and allowed me to build a foundation for my dissertation. There are so many at Western Michigan University ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments—Continued that played a role in my success. As a Doctorial Associate, my supervisors Dr. Judith F. Stone and Dr. Marion W. Gray granted me a great amount of flexibility. This freedom combined with Dr. Robert Berkhofer’s efforts to keep me focused, gave me the needed time to concentrate on researching and writing my dissertation while working for the department. Moving to Ohio several years ago meant that I needed to rely on others to do my legwork. In addition to Dr. Szylvian, Dr. James R. Palmitessa and Dr. Catherine Julien took it upon themselves to help me with the numerous administrative issues that arose while I was living out of state. Candace List and Brenda Brewer were also very helpful in managing my affairs in my absence. I would also like to thank Dawne Dewey of Wright State University’s Special Collections and Archives. Dawne has provided valuable assistance with my research and images for my dissertation and was also an instructor of mine while I was a student at Wright State University. As a graduate student at Wright State, my advisor, Dr. Nancy Garner, played a pivotal role in my preparation for the long haul as a doctoral student. Although my days at Wright State seem to be a distant memory, I feel they were instrumental in developing my career. The inspiration for me to embark on this journey in the first place came from my late mother, Sherlie Steffens Baker. In her short life, I found the lesson that happiness in my life’s work is the key to success. Through her I found the drive to make my lifelong dream a reality. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by a caring family whose supportive environment has helped kept me going. My father and iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments—Continued stepmother, Ray and Marie-France Johnson, have always been there with words of encouragement and assistance. My stepfather, Mason Blaine Baker, has always had my best interests at heart and it has showed through his years of steadfast support. My brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Christopher R. Johnson and Dr. Katharine Coles, have provided me with invaluable insight and guidance throughout my academic career. Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Julie. We met in an American history class so many years ago. To this day, I feel she has been my best reward as her support, kindness, and caring have been indispensable and is deeply appreciated. James Clayton Johnson iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................................................................... ii LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................