Biographical Sketches

CHARLES KEENEY HAMILTON

Born: May 30, 1885    In: New Britain, CT
Died: January 22, 1914    In: Hartford, CN

At 18, Charles Keeney Hamilton became active in hot-air ballooning and parachute jumping at circuses and fairs beginning in 1903.

In 1906, he teamed up with Roy Knabenshue and began piloting dirigibles. This led to a tour of Japan in 1909 with a dirigible. In this same year, Hamilton became an exhibition pilot for Glenn Curtiss aeroplanes.

Hamilton participated in the 1910 Dominguez Field Air Meet, then won a prize of $10,000 for flying from New York City to Philadelphia in June, and in October flew at the New York International Air Meet. He also made the first documented night flight, over Knoxville. TN, this same year.

During 1911, Hamilton joined Moissant’s International Aviators, a group of flyers who toured the United States performing daredevil exhibitions and hawking barnstorming flights. During one of these performances with the group in El Paso TX, he used his plane over Ciudad Juarez to observe engagements between the Mexican militia and rebels, which was is one of the earliest recorded uses of an airplane for military purposes.

Hamilton died at age 29 in 1914 from a lung hemorrhage after a long bout with tuberculosis. He was known as a true daredevil pilot. He would fly anything anywhere and, because of this, was involved in many crashes. At the time of his death, he reportedly had two replaced ribs, and metal plates in his skull and one ankle. ( -- K O Eckland)

REFERENCES:
Morehouse Early Pioneers

Denotes an individual known to have soloed an aircraft prior to December 16, 1917, whether they were members of the "Early Birds of Aviation" Organization or not.