Background
Elder Ruth was born on September 12, 1904, in Anniston, Alabama. She was one of eight children of Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Elder.
Elder Ruth was born on September 12, 1904, in Anniston, Alabama. She was one of eight children of Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Elder.
In youth, Miss Elder moved to Lakeland, Florida, where she studied for one year in business school.
Inspired by Charles Lindbergh's and Richard Byrd's transatlantic flights in 1927, Elder took flying lessons from pilot George Haldeman, to whom she related her desire to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic and who agreed to accompany her.
After one year in business school, Miss Elder became employed as a stenographer and then a dental assistant.
She found financial backers who put up $35, 000 for her plane, and later that year, she arrived at Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, and became a public sensation when she announced her intention to fly across the Atlantic.
In press interviews, she reiterated her determination to make a crossing despite poor weather reports and the recent failed attempts of other flyers.
On October 11, 1927, shortly after receiving her pilot's license and five months after Lindbergh's landing in Paris, Elder and Haldeman departed from Roosevelt Field for Paris. Elder and Haldeman flew in their single-engine Stinson plane, nicknamed the "American Girl, " for thirty-six hours until a broken oil line forced both flyers to take periodic turns crawling down into the fuselage to bail out oil.
Despite Haldeman's deliberate effort to avoid tumultuous weather just north of them, stormy winds fiercely jostled the overheated aircraft. Haldeman spotted an empty oil tanker below the SS Barendrecht and ditched the plane near the Dutch ship, 350 miles off the Azores.
The Barendrecht immediately dispatched a small boat and rescue crew, who tossed ropes to the flyers.
Although Haldeman and Elder failed to reach Paris, they flew 2, 623 miles, covering more miles over water than any previous aircraft. As Elder stepped ashore at the Azores, she was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd.
In New York City, the National Women's Party congratulated her for "smashing the myth" that only "plain" and ordinary women can make a difference in the world. Others were less enthusiastic. Winifred Stoner, founder of the League for Fostering Genius, stated that Elder could be of greater service to humanity as a typist.
Similarly, Eleanor Roosevelt dubbed Elder's Atlantic flight "foolish, " and renowned sociologist Katherine Davies maintained that Elder's accomplishment was unremarkable. Movie, advertisement, and personal appearance contracts awaited Elder upon her return to the United States.
She signed a contract with producer Florenz Ziegfeld to appear in one of his "Glorifying the American Girl" revues.
In addition, Elder took to the vaudeville circuit, publicly recounting her dangerous transatlantic voyage. In June 1928, Elder appeared in the first of two silent pictures, Moran of the Marines, which included Richard Dix and future star Jean Harlow.
The following year, Elder demonstrated her flying skills opposite cowboy movie star Hoot Gibson in the Winged Horseman. Elder also continued her flying career and in August 1929, entered the first Women's Air Derby. With Will Rogers officiating, Elder competed against other famous female aviators, such as Amelia Earhart, Pancho Barnes, and Ruth Nichols.
The race ran from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio, with the pilots landing each night. Vying for cash prizes as well as advertisement and endorsement opportunities, Elder came in fifth place, just behind Blanche Noyes.
As the 1920's came to a close, so did Elder's place in the limelight. She attempted writing and briefly managed her own advertising agency. She then lived the remainder of her life in seclusion until her death in San Francisco.
Miss Elder together with Haldeman were the first who flew 2, 623 miles, covering more miles over water than any previous aircraft in the 20th century. With Will Rogers officiating, Elder competed against other famous female aviators, such as Amelia Earhart, Pancho Barnes, and Ruth Nichols. The race ran from Santa Monica, Calif. , to Cleveland, Ohio, with the pilots landing each night. Vying for cash prizes as well as advertisement and endorsement opportunities, Elder came in fifth place, just behind Blanche Noyes. In Paris, she was hailed by the Interallied Club, a French aeronautical society, as representing the "new spirit of American womanhood. " King Alfonso XIII of Spain made Elder an honorary member of the Spanish air force Elder had earned around $250, 000 from motion pictures and public appearances, but later in life she told reporters that the money "slipped through her fingers" and disappeared.
King Alfonso XIII of Spain made Elder an honorary member of the Spanish air force.
Elder retained her maiden name during her professional life and preferred to be called "Miss Elder" even when married.
Elder dazzled audiences with her sporting knickers and her trend-setting "Ruth ribbons" trademark, a gypsy-like scarf wrapped around her head, the slender and vivacious beauty, and also with her pluck and charming smile. Bold and unconventional, Elder embodied the last of the flapper generation.
Elder's enormous popularity was understandable given the context of the 1920's. Aviation pioneers like Elder reaffirmed the importance of self-fulfillment while promoting the conquest of new frontiers.
Elder resembled the alluring women adventurers common in the film and literature of the era. Unfortunately, Elder's celebrity status obscured her contribution to the advancement of women in aviation.
Elder was married and divorced six times. She married her first husband, schoolteacher C. E. Moody, at the age of eighteen.
A few months before her Atlantic trip in 1927, she married Lyle Womack of Panama and a memberof the Byrd South Pole Expedition in 1929. They divorced in 1928.
Elder next married Walter Camp, Junior, president of Inspiration Pictures, Incorporation, a director of Madison Square Garden in New York City, and son of the renowned Yale football coach. They divorced in 1932.
She next married George K. Thackery, then movie director Albert A. Gillespie, followed by Hollywood cameraman Ralph King, whom she married twice.
September 1879 - 9 December 1953
19 February 1891 - 31 December 1940
1902 - 1972
14 October 1899 - 3 May 1978
29 December 1914 - 16 January 1996
26 August 1896 - 24 June 1956
