January 16, 1919 – Washington, DC
Pilot Edward A. Johnson poses with his wife.
Edward Johnson was born in 1885 in Newport, Rhode Island. He attended college in California at the Business College of Sacramento and the Polytechnic College of Oakland. By 1915, he was employed with the Curtiss company and served for a while as its representative in Great Britain. During World War I, he served as a Signal Corp instructor, then later as a test pilot.
Johnson's brief airmail service was unremarkable. After leaving the service, he continued flying in various ways and served as a technical advisor at the Wright-Patterson field during the Second World War. Johnson died on July 14, 1949.
Before he joined the Airmail Service, Johnson posted this letter to Second Assistant Postmaster General Otto Praeger outlining his thoughts on operating the airmail flights. He began working for the service eight months later.
- Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration
