Linious "Mac" McGee (March 23, 1897 – June 13, 1988) was an American aviation pioneer and founder of McGee Airways, the predecessor company to Alaska Airlines.[1][2]
Linious McGee | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 23, 1897 |
| Died | June 13, 1988 (aged 91) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Mac McGee |
| Occupation(s) | Airline entrepreneur, Miner, Truck driver, Dishwasher, Fur buyer |
| Known for | Founder of McGee Airways, predecessor to Alaska Airlines |
Biography edit
McGee was born in Francesville, Indiana on March 23, 1897.[3] In his early years he worked in his grandfather’s bank in a small Montana town, then spent some time in Alaska working in the mines. He returned to Montana and tried homesteading near Livingston, Montana but went broke.[4]
In 1929, in the midst of the Great Depression, with no money or prospects, he sneaked aboard the SS Aleutian steamship and made the trip to Seward, Alaska as a stowaway. He went to Anchorage and worked for the Standard Oil Distributor driving a delivery truck.[4] He then started a fur trading business using dog teams and chartered airplanes to travel throughout the area buying furs.[4] He needed his own airplane in order to reach Alaska's remote villages. In 1931 he partnered with Harvey W. Barnhill,[2][5] an early day Alaska bush pilot to purchase a three-seat Stinson airplane from Varney Airlines in San Francisco.[2] They shipped the plane to Alaska on a steamship and founded Barnhill & McGee Airways in Anchorage.[4]
Although "Mac" learned to fly, his primary interest was in business management and organization.[4] In about 1932, McGee bought Barnhill’s interest in the company, purchased another Stinson airplane[4] and founded McGee Airways,[3] which was one of the first air services in Anchorage. McGee Airways grew into a fleet of seven black and silver Stinson airplanes.[2] In 1934 he sold the company to rival Anchorage-based competitor Star Air Service for $50,000 and managed the combined operation for several years before going into mining.[2][4] Star Air Service became financially unstable after McGee left, and he was called back to manage the company again.[2][4]
After leaving Star for the last time, he returned to mining, and retired to the "lower 48." He died in Reno, Nevada in 1988.[2][3] McGee Airways became part of Star Air Service which through a long series of mergers and acquisitions became Alaska Airlines in 1944.[4]
He died on June 13, 1988, in Reno, Nevada.
References edit
- ^ Crowley, Walt (February 1, 2000). "Alaska Airlines". History Link. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Mac McGee The Beginnings". Company History. Alaska Airlines – Horizon Group. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ^ a b c Bagoy, John P. (2001). Legends & Legacies: Anchorage 1910–1935. S.l.: Publications Consultants. ISBN 1-888125-91-8.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Satterfield, Archie (1981). The Alaska Airlines story. Anchorage, Alaska: Alaska Northwest Pub. Co. ISBN 0-88240-165-3. OCLC 7835917.
- ^ Anchorage Centennial Commission Aviation Committee (1967). Honoring 100 Alaska Bush Pilots. Alaska Purchase Centennial 1867–1967, Anchorage Centennial Commission.