Augustus Post was an American pioneer aviator and automobilist.
Background
He was born on December 8, 1873 in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of Augustus Thomas and Mary Esther Austin Post.
Growing up in affluent surroundings, Post evinced an adventurous disposition joined to an enthusiasm for engines and flight. One of his earliest purchases was a Waverly electric automobile, reputably the first horseless carriage in New York City.
Education
He was educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute; Amherst College, from which he received the M. A. in 1895; and Harvard Law School (1895 - 1896).
Career
After marriage he helped establish the first public automobile garage in New York. Post made his first air ascent, in a balloon, at Paris in 1900. Five years later he organized the Aero Club of America and served as its secretary until 1925.
On September 9, 1908, when Orville Wright made a demonstration flight at Fort Myer, Virginia, Post was one of those who officially timed it at one hour, two minutes, and fifteen seconds - the first airplane endurance flight to exceed an hour. Post himself set a flight endurance and altitude record on October 8, 1908: with Clifford B. Harmon (later of Harmon Trophy fame) he completed a balloon flight at St. Louis that lasted forty-eight hours, twenty-six minutes, and attained an altitude of 16, 616 feet. Post was the thirteenth man to fly in an airplane in the United States. Around 1910 he became a test pilot in connection with the Glenn Curtiss operations at Hammondsport, New York, and later participated in airplane meets at Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and in France and Germany.
He also contributed a number of articles on aviation to magazines and was author or co-author of Problems of Flying at High Altitudes, with W. Kasperowicz; Glenn Hammond Curtiss (1912) and The Curtiss Aviation Book (1912). In 1921 Post suggested to his friend Raymond Orteig the idea of offering a $25, 000 prize "to the first aviator who shall cross the Atlantic in a land or water aircraft (heavier than air) from Paris or the shores of France to New York, or from New York to Paris or the shores of France, without stop. " The prize announcement was made through the Aero Club, of which Orteig was an enthusiastic member. At the end of five years, the original time limit stipulated, Orteig extended the offer for another five years and awarded the prize to Charles A. Lindbergh for his solo flight of May 20-21, 1927.
He died in New York City.
Achievements
Personality
In his later years Post was a handsome, goateed man of military bearing. He had a colorful personality.
He was famous for his tales of the Great Snow of '88 and for his ability to mimic the sounds of almost anything, from airplanes to canaries. He was fond of appearing in frontier garb, was active in the Boy Scout movement, and devoted much time to civic and patriotic organizations.
Connections
In 1897 he married Emma C. Keaghy. By 1912 Emma and Augustus Post had formally separated and Emma Post had moved to Virginia.