Charles M. McDermott (1808 - 1884)

Born 22 Sep 1808 in West Feliciana, Louisiana, United States

Husband of Hester Susan (Smith) McDermott — married 9 Dec 1833 in New Roads, Pointe Coupee, Louisiana, United States

Died 13 Oct 1884 at age 76 in Dermott, Chicot, Arkansas, United States

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Biography

Charles McDermott is Notable.

Charles M. McDermott was an American physician and inventor born on September 22, 1808, in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana.^[1][2][3] He later moved to Chicot County, Arkansas. He is known for being granted the first known patent for a flying machine in the United States.^[2]

His parents were Emily (Ozan) and Patrick McDermott. He grew up on a sugarcane plantation and had four brothers and two sisters.^[1] His father died early in his childhood, and he was sent to boarding schools in Louisiana for his early education, and later to Yale University in 1925. He graduated with honors and a bachelor's degree in 1828.^[1][3][2]

He married Hester Susan Smith on December 9, 1833 in New Roads, Louisiana. After his marriage, he began studying medicine with his brother-in-law, Dr. Baines^[1], and chose medicine as his profession before moving to Chicot County, Arkansas.^[2] Apart from his medical practice, he amassed a small fortune as a cotton planter. He established a plantation on Gaines Landing Road, and built a second summer home near Monticello in Drew County.^[1]

Some of his children fought and were killed during the war. He was a Southern who fully supported slavery and bitterly resented the success of the North in the war.^[2] After the war, he returned to his bayou plantation to resume farming. However, discouraged with the new reality, he moved his family to Honduras.^[1] After his attempts to establish a colony there, he returned to his plantation and turned his interest to inventing. In 1874, he received a patent on a cotton-picking machine, in 1875 on a common iron wedge and an iron hoe.^[1]

His main goal, though, was to build a flying machine. He spent time watching birds and noted how they glided for long periods. He was determined to do the same with a machine. He said, "I hope to give a flying chariot to every poor woman," and believed he had found the secret to flight: "Many (birds) sail one above the other, and a horizontal propulsion is the secret never known until I discovered it by analysis and synthesis, and which will shortly fill the air with flying men and women." His design was essentially a glider.^[1] In 1874, he exhibited his model at the Southeast Arkansas Fair in Monticello and the Arkansas State Fair in Little Rock.^[3] In 1776, he traveled to Philadelphia as part of the Arkansas exhibit for the National Centennial Exhibit to display his inventions. Despite his efforts, his machine never flew.^[3][1] The Wright brothers would later state in an article in the Scientific American described McDermott's machine and accredited his plans to their success.^[1]

McDermott died on October 13, 1884 of spinal disease at his home on Bayou Bartholomew in Dermott. The town of Dermott is named after him.^[1] He is buried at McDermott Cemetery, a family cemetery on the former plantation grounds.^[1][4]

The Institute of the Aeronautical Society in New York City has a model of his machine on display at the Arkansas Aerospace Education Center.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12} DeArmond-Huskey, Rebecca, Wilmar, Arkansas. Encyclopedia of Arkansas, last updated on 19 Mar 2019. "Charles M. McDermott (1808–1884)." Accessed 20 Mar 2023.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Wikipedia Contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, last edited on 24 Feb 2022. "Charles McDermott." Accessed 20 Mar 2023.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Taggart, Sam, Magazine The Arkansas Family Physician (AFP), (n.d.). "Flying-Machine Charley Dr. Charles McDermont." Accessed 20 Mar 2023.
4. ↑ Burial: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36789717/charles-m-mcdermott: accessed 20 March 2023), memorial page for Dr Charles M. McDermott (22 Sep 1808–13 Oct 1884), Find A Grave: Memorial #36789717, citing McDermott Cemetery, Dermott, Chicot County, Arkansas, USA; Maintained by Jan J. Shultz (contributor 47101238).