 Henry Tift Myers, Sr. Papers
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteHenry Tift Myers, Sr. was born in Tifton, Georgia, on September 16, 1907. The nephew of Captain Henry Harding Tift, the New England-bred founder of Tifton, Georgia, Myers attended Atlanta's Tech High School and the Culver Military Academy in Indiana, where he graduated in 1925. He attended the University of Georgia, where he was a fullback on the football team and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. After receiving his degree in 1929 he entered the Army Air Corps. After completing his flight training at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas and at Selfridge Field in Michigan, Myers worked for American Airlines. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was ordered back into the Army Air Corps as aide to General Harold S. George of Air Transport Command. Soon after, on General George's recommendation, he was appointed the first Presidential pilot in 1942, and served in this capacity until 1947. He was the captain of "The Sacred Cow" and "The Independence," the predecessors to Air Force One, and he was responsible for transporting Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and their families within the United States and abroad. Myers was also frequently charged with transporting members of Congress, high ranking military officers, visiting royalty, and other VIPs and guests of the United States government, including Dwight Eisenhower, Madame Chiang, wife of Chiang Kai-shek, Mexican President Miguel Alemán, and Winston Churchill, among others. During his years as a pilot Myers also set numerous world records. He was the first pilot to circumnavigate the globe at the equator; he was the first American pilot after Lindbergh to fly nonstop from New York to Paris. His ten-year air transport speed record was broken by Howard Hughes in 1944. As a result of his high profile career, Myers also maintained a modicum of celebrity. He hobnobbed with Hollywood actors and actresses, and was frequently profiled in magazines and newspapers. In December 1945 Myers married Maidee Williams of Dallas, Texas. The couple had a son, Henry Tift Myers, Jr., in 1947. In 1968, at age 61, Myers died of congestive heart failure. He is buried in Tifton, Georgia. For further information, consult Bonne Davis Cella's Fixing the Moon: the Story of the First Presidential Pilot and Aviation Pioneer Lt. Col. Henry Tift Myers (Macon, GA: Henchard Press, 2005). Scope and ContentThe Henry Tift Myers, Sr. Papers document Myers' life from 1931 to 1968 (bulk 1943-1947), with an emphasis on his service as the first Presidential pilot during World War II. The collection consists of personal and professional papers, photographs, drawings, and maps. Types of materials included in the professional papers are official correspondence, commendations from superiors, orders, and flight logs. Of particular interest are the flight logs documenting the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, and letters of thanks to Myers from Harry S. Truman. The personal papers include correspondence with friends and family, fan mail, ephemera and mementoes from his travels abroad, clippings, World War II-era publications, and handwritten notes. Some materials (most notably, Myers' extensive collection of World War II souvenirs, which were frequently mentioned in profiles about him) are in the possession of private collectors and are not available. The collection also contains 671 photographs, the majority of which are Myers' personal snapshots, depicting him and his crew in various locations around the globe. Among these snapshots are images of Paris, which are among the first taken after the city was liberated by Allied forces, and snapshots of the extensive bombing damage in Germany and Italy. There are also professional photographs taken on behalf of news agencies or by official Armed Forces photographers depicting Myers and his crew posing with "The Sacred Cow" and "The Independence." The color slides, blueline drawings and schematic are interior views of the second Presidential aircraft, "The Independence," which Myers assisted in designing. The maps are aeronautic navigation maps Myers used in his travels, dating from World War II, some of which indicate Axis-held areas and other "hot spots." Organization and ArrangementThe collection is divided into five series: Presidential Flights, Personal Papers, Flight Logs, Photographs and Drawings, and Maps. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationHenry Tift Myers, Sr. Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia. Processing NotesClippings have been copied onto bond paper for protection of content. Oversize materials and photographs materials have been separated for preservation and storage purposes. User RestrictionsLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2008. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
Richard B. Russell, Jr. Collection Related Collections in Other RepositoriesPhotograph Collection, Harry S. Truman Library and Museum Francis W. Williams Papers, Harry S. Truman Library and Museum Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection, University of Texas at Arlington William Lecel Lee Papers, Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and Museum | ||||||||||||||||||||