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Alexander de Seversky (1894-1974) was born in Russian Georgia and graduated from the Imperial Russian Naval Academy. He took a postgraduate course at the Military School of Aeronautics where he learned to fly on a Farman 4. During World War I, de Seversky shot down 13 German aircraft and lost his right leg during a bombing mission in 1915. After the Russian revolution he became an American citizen and worked as a test pilot and inspector for the U.S. government. In the 1930s he organized the Seversky Aircraft Corporation. De Seversky set numerous speed records during the 1930s and he is credited with playing a major role in important aviation technological breakthroughs.

Identifier

NASM.1994.0049

Creator

Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York

Date

1936-1940

Provenance

Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York/The History Factory, gift, 1994, 1994-0049, Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York

Extent

1 Microfilm reel ((1 microfilm box))

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This donation is a microfilm copy of the file on Alexander de Seversky compiled by his insurance company -- Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York. These documents were compiled by the insurance company when they were considering insuring de Seversky in 1936 and 1940. The documents on the reel include applications and investigation reports, as well as an 'Aviation form,' de Seversky had to fill out detailing the number and nature of flights that he had made in the last few years.

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Restrictions

No restrictions on access

Topics

Aeronautics

Air pilots

Aeronautics -- Records

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Microfilm reels

Microfilms