Gene Vidal was one of the pioneers of civil aviation. Born in 1895 in South Dakota, Vidal was a talented athlete. He was a decathlete in the 1920 Olympics. Vidal became a pilot in 1921 while serving in the military.
He was an early employee of Transcontinental Air Transport, which was one of the first airlines dedicated to providing passenger service. He then helped found the Luddington Line, an airline which offered commuters regular service between Philadelphia, New York , and Washington D.C.
Amelia Earhart was an investor in the Luddington Line, and there is some speculation that Vidal and Earhart were engaged romantically. Vidal consulted with Earhart as she was planning her flight around the world. It was Vidal who initiated construction of the landing strip on Howland Island that Earhart should have used, had she successfully landed between New Guinea and Hawaii in the South Pacific.
Vidal was eventually appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as Director of Aeronautics of the Bureau of Air Commerce. It was under Vidal’s leadership that the first air traffic control centers were established.
Learn more in the Eugene L. Vidal papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.