Alfred W. Lawson Collection
Scope and Content
This collection contains materials relating to Alfred W. Lawson, a professional baseball player and aviator. Documents relate to the Lawson C-2 Airliner. This collection also conatains a copy of the Benefactor Newspaper from 1948 and a copy of Aircraft magazine from 1913. An undated copy from "Who's Who In American Aeronautics" provides some biographical information about Lawson. There is also an oversize copy of sheet music for the song The Airline March
.
Dates
- 1913, 1948, n.d.
Creator
Language of Materials
The materials in the collection are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:
http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Biographical Note
Alfred William Lawson was born on March 24, 1869, in London, England, to Robert Henry Lawson and Mary Anderson Lawson. Before starting his aviation career, Lawson played professional baseball in the United States, playing for the Boston Beaneaters and Pittsburgh Alleghenys before being sent down to the minor leagues. Lawson's playing career lasted until 1885, but he later managed in the minor leagues from 1905 to 1907.
Lawson began his aviation career in 1908 when he started the magazine Fly, later renamed to Aircraft. In 1917, he founded the Lawson Aircraft Corporation. Lawson's aviation career ended in 1928 after having trobles securing funding for his ideas. After leaving the field of aviation, Lawson turned to the fields of economics and philosophy.
Lawson died on November 29, 1954.
Extent
1.4 Cubic Feet (1 box, 1 oversize folder)
Abstract
This collection contains materials relating to the aviation career of Alfred W. Lawson, a professional baseball player and aviator.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by material type.
Source of Acquisition
The Alfred W. Lawson Collection was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in October 2015.
Separated Materials
The following items were transferred to the Rare Book Collection:
Lawson, Alfred. Aircraft History Detroit, Michigan: Humanity Benefactor Foundation, 1947.
Lawson, Alfred. Historical Documents Aircraft History Detroit, Michigan: Humanity Benefactor Foundation, 1982.
Lawson, Alfred. Fly: The National Aeronautic Magazine Vol. 1 Seattle, Washington: Superior Publishing Company, 1971.
Unknown. Lawson: Aircraft Industry Builder Detroit, Michigan: Humanity Benefactor Foundation, n. d.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Alfred W. Lawson Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Alfred W. Lawson Collection was completed in June 2023.
The processing, arrangement, and description of this collection was created as part of the project, "Piercing the Veil: Creating Access to the Archives of American Aerospace Exploration at Virginia Tech," funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) from 2022 to 2024.
- Title
- Alfred W. Lawson Collection, 1913, 1948, n.d.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Tyler Williams, Student Assistant
- Date
- 2023 (CC0 1.0)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- The processing, arrangement, and description of this collection was created as part of the project, "Piercing the Veil: Creating Access to the Archives of American Aerospace Exploration at Virginia Tech," funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) from 2022 to 2024.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu