On March 4, 1909, Public Resolution 1 of the 60th US Congress authorized "the Secretary of War to award gold medals to Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright."
(Note: The internet often lists the root of the Public Resolution as House Joint Resolution 246, but the Congressional Record
and Statutes At large of the United States of America
list the root as Senate Joint Resolution 119. So, I'm going with the Senate Resolution for the core of my discussion.On December 17, 1903, after several years of design and testing effort in their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio and on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully conducted the first flight of a self-propelled heavier-than-air craft at (present-day) Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The first flight lasted only 12 seconds and traveled just 120 feet - Orville was at the controls. Aviation tech has certainly progressed from its humble beginnings!
Note 1: An initial flight attempt was made on December 14, 1903 with Wilbur at the controls (he won the coin toss), but there was an issue with the launch rail and the flight did not happen. Had no problems been encountered, Wilbur would have been first vs. Orville.Note 2: The Wright Brothers conducted several successful flights on December 17, 1903 - the longest lasted 59 seconds and covered a distance of 852 feet.Senator Joseph Benson Foraker (R-OH) introduced the Wright Brothers medal resolution in January 1909, during the 60th Congress. The resolution specifically called for award medals for the aviation pioneers and was immediately considered and passed by the Senate without discussion.
The bill was then sent to the House of Representatives, where it was referred to the House Committee on Military Affairs. The companion House Joint Resolution introduced by John Eugene Harding (R-OH) was referred to the same Committee.
The House Committee made a small amendment to the Senate resolution by placing a cap of $300 on what the Secretary of the Treasury could spend on the medals. (ICYWW, the spot price of one ounce of gold in 1909 was $20.67.) The amended resolution was passed by the House without objection; the Senate concurred with the amendment. The Resolution was examined and signed in each chamber, presented to the President and signed into law by US President Theodore Roosevelt on the morning of March 4, 1909.
Note 3: The Resolution was among the last bills/resolutions to be signed by Roosevelt; William Howard Taft was inaugurated in the afternoon on March 4, 1909.)The obverse of the medal/plaquette features conjoined, left-facing portraits of Wilbur (front) and Orville (rear) Wright, flanked by identifying inscriptions of their names. In the upper right is seen the Great Seal of the United States within a laurel wreath. Below the portraits is the inscription: "IN RECOGNITION AND APPRECIATION OF THEIR ABILITY COURAGE AND SUCCESS IN NAVIGATING THE AIR."
The reverse presents a mythological/allegorical scene, with an angel representing the Genius of Aviation holding a torch in her outstretched right hand as she flies over the earth. Above the figure is the inscription: "SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES." (A line from the Bible, Isaiah 40:31.)
US Mint Chief Engraver,
Charles E. Barber, was responsible for the medal's obverse, and his Assistant, George T. Morgan is credited with the reverse.
1909 Wright Brothers Congressional Award Medal
The medal/plaquette measures 3.125" x 2.125" x 3/16" with a weight (bronze duplicate) of ~5.7 ounces; it was offered as US Mint List Medal #639.
The gold medals were presented to Orville and Wilbur by General James Allen (Chief Signal Officer, US Army) in Dayton, Ohio on June 18, 1909 - the presentation was part of a home town celebration of the Wright Brothers held in Dayton June 17-19, 1909. (Dayton is the home town of Orville and Wilbur.) In addition to the Congressional medals, the brothers were given a diamond-studded medal with the Official Seal of Ohio and also a medal from the people of Dayton.
Wilbur Wright commented: "It is naturally with a feeling of pride that we accept these tokens, and I wish to thank the people of the United States, of Ohio and of Dayton. It is sometimes said inventors usually do not receive the sympathy and encouragement which is their due. This cannot be said of us." Humble words from a man who helped write history!
For more of my stories about commemorative coins and medals, including other US Mint medals, see:
Commems Collection.
[i]Note 4: In addition to the gold award medals, the Mint also struck bronze duplicates for sale to the public (at the direction of the US War Department). The example presented here is one of the bronze pieces; it is a later restrike vs. from circa 1909.
Posted 09/01/2024 9:47 pm
