Frederick J. Wiseman Autographed Postcards

Frederick J. Wiseman (1875--1961) was an early California aviator and one of the designers of the Wiseman-Peters (later named Wiseman-Cooke) Biplane. This collection consists of two autgraphed postcards, both featuring an inset portrait of Frederick J. Wiseman and a view of the Wiseman-Peters #2 Biplane (Wiseman-Cooke Biplane).

Frederick J. Wiseman (1875--1961) was born in Santa Rosa, California, and after attending local schools he engaged in both the bicycle and automotive businesses. Wiseman won considerable fame racing Stoddard-Dayton cars on the West Coast as well as in the Chicago area. Wiseman became interested in aviation after attending the Wright Brothers' homecoming celebration in 1909 and the first Los Angeles aviation meet at Dominguez Field in 1910. After these two events, Wiseman was convinced he wanted to learn to fly and so he returned to his home in Santa Rosa and pooled his money with fellow race car driver M. W. Peters to build an airplane. They persuaded local butcher Ben Noonan to put up the remainder of the needed funds, and the group added Don Prentiss as secretary of the organization and Julian Pierre, an additional mechanic. In May 1910, as the first Wiseman-Peters biplane began to be tested and exhibited, the group started construction of a second aircraft, and it was in this second airplane that Wiseman would make all his significant exhibition flights. During July 1910, both Peters and Wiseman flew the Wiseman-Peters #2, and the following year Wiseman entered the 1911 Aviation Meet at Selfridge Field. In February of that year, Wiseman made an early airmail flight when he carried mail, a bundle of newspapers and a sack of groceries from Petaluma, California, to Santa Rosa, California. During 1911 Wiseman had an active season of exhibition work, including flying for one week at the California State Fair. However, after this season Wiseman gave up flying because he thought there was no future in it. He sold his plane and returned to the automobile business, later working for the Standard Oil Company of California. Wiseman was a member of the Early Birds of Aviation. Weldon Cooke, another pioneer aviator from California, bought and modified the Wiseman-Peters aircraft, renaming it the Wiseman-Cooke and flying the aircraft for exhibition and air mail flights.