HAROLD E. HARTNEY 1888-1945

Lt. Col. Harold E. Hartney Library of Congress Collection, 6-15-08

Two EBs Retained by Senate Aviation Quiz Col. Hartney To Aid Body Carl Dolan Also to Help Congressional Quiz by BOB BALL      A sub-committee of the United States Senate, aroused by the death last May of Sen. Bronson T. Cutting in the crash of a transcontinental airliner, is now preparing for what is destined to be the most penetrating investigation of air transportation and allied agencies ever conducted.      Heading the sub-committee is Sen. Royal S. Copeland (Dem.), New York, and serving with him as an investigating body will be Sen. Bennett Champ Clark (Dem.), Missouri Sen. Vic Doheny (Dem.), Ohio, Sen. Hiram Johnson (Rep.), California, and Sen. Wallace White (Rep.), Maine.      Hearings probably won't get under way until late September and may continue for several months, according to present indications.   HARTNEY AT HELM      Meanwhile, Col. Harold E. Hartney, Early Birds, war-time commander of the First Pursuit Group, and technical adviser to a dozen aeronautical enterprises, is hard at work amassing data for the committee, preparing the foundation upon which the investigation will be based.      Essentially domestic air transport line, every Federal and private agency associated with the conduct of interstate air transportation will be scrutinized, will likewise be given opportunity to state its case and explain its practices.   IN SENATE LANGUAGE      In the words of the Senate resolution authorizing the investigation:      "The Committee on Commerce . . . is hereby directed to investigate fully and thoroughly (1) the said wreck of the airplane owned and operated by Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc. . . . (2) any other accidents or wrecks of airplanes engaged in interstate commerce in which lives have been lost . . . (3) interstate air commerce generally, the precautions and safeguards provided therein both by those engaged in it and by officials or departments of the United States Government . . . (4) the activities of those entrusted by the Government with the protection of property and life by air transportation, and the degree, adequacy and efficienty of supervision by any agency of Government including inspection and frequency thereof . . . (5) shall determine what legislation, if any, shall be adopted in the interests of safety . . . (6) and what legislation, if any, shall be adopted to prevent accidents in the air and to provide appropriate safeguards for their prevention."      Thus, you can see EBs Hartney and Dolan are going to have their hands full for some time to come.

 

Major Harold E. Hartney, 1918 Photo Courtesy LANGLEY LINK LANGLEY AFB

A LITTLE HISTORY      But it won't be the first time for either of them. After attending two universities in Canada from 1907 to 1914 (and being graduated from both), Hartney became a full fledged lawyer.      Then came the war. In October, 1915, he joined the Royal Flying Corps., after two years became a captain and received the Italian Silver Medal for Valor.      In September of 1917 he transferred to the American Air Service with the rank of major. He organized, trained and took to the front the 27th Aero Squadron, was promoted to Group Commander, First Pursuit Group, Aug. 21, 1918. Transfers and what not after the Armistice brought him back to the chief's office as a lieutenant-colonel.      Since then Col. Hartney has dabbled in a dozen aviation outfits, was one of the organizer of the National Aeronautic Association and was its first general manager. And now this.   DOLAN PROFICIENT      Carl Dolan, after a glamorous record overseas and back on this side again, first came to this correspondent's attention while, as operations manager of Eastern Air Transport, he had all the other lines looking over his shoulder to see how he did it.      A change of management and a change of jobs and Carl ended up last winter as special investigator for the Postoffice Department in which position he dug up enough information to make some of the air lines wish they hadn't when they came before the Interstate Commerce Commission to petition for higher air mail rates. That job whetted his appetite for what is to come. And Carl intends to prove that capitalization of some of the companies may be affecting their safety standards.      Two EBs determined to do one fine job---that's the picture in a sub-basement room of the Capitol. And when the aforementioned Senators get their names and faces in the newspapers, you'll know who are making it possible. from CHIRP, SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1935, DETROIT MICHI. courtesy of Steve Remington - CollectAir

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "Harold E. Hartney", using the Google search engine, (4-9-04), you will find about 91 links. If you use "Harold E. Hartney +aviation", you will find about 47 links. If you use "Harold E. Hartney + aviation - book", you will still find 23 links. Perhaps the most helpful are the following.

 

HARTNEY, HAROLD EVANS,      This page on the www.aircrash.org website offers a very nice resumé of his life and career. It is taken from the 1943 edition of Who's Who in Aviation and is quite complete. You can access the page by clicking on the title above.

 

 

 

RECOMMENDED READING

BEFORE AMELIA Women Pilots in the Early Days of Aviation   Eileen F. Lebow   Product Details Cloth: 315 pages; 6x9 inches List Price: $26.95 Your Price: $21.56 ISBN: 1574884824

HAROLD E. HARTNEY LINKS Harold Hartney The Aerodrome: Aces and Aircraft of World War I   Editor's Note The Aerodrome is a wonderful site which features the Aces and Aircraft of World War I. It has sections on Aces, Books, Forum, Guests, Help, Links, Medals, News and Search. I have found the stories on the aces to be comprehensive, fascinating and often the only source of information available. A visit to any of the other sections is always rewarding. I highly recommend that you make a visit to the site, as time permits.

 

 

I have not been able to find the dates of his birth or his death.   Editor's Note: If you have any information on this pioneer aviator please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper

 

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