{{Short description|American WW1 flying ace (1896-1954)}} {{Infobox military person | name = Edgar Gardner Tobin | image = Edgar Gardner Tobin.jpg | image_size = 250 | caption = Edgar Gardner Tobin, 1918 | birth_date = 7 September 1896 | death_date = {{Death date and age|1954|1|10|1896|9|7}} | burial_label = | burial_place = | birth_place = San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | death_place = Wallace Lake, Louisiana, U.S. | nickname = | allegiance = {{flag|United States|23px}} | branch = Air Service, United States Army | service_years = 1917 - 1918 | rank = Lieutenant | unit = 94th Aero Squadron<br>103rd Aero Squadron | commands = | battles = 50px World War I | awards = Distinguished Service Cross, Croix de Guerre | relations = | other_work = Became president of world's largest aerial mapping firm }}
'''Edgar Gardner Tobin''' (September 7, 1896 – January 10, 1954) was an American World War I flying ace, businessman, and pioneer in aerial photography. Tobin was born to a prominent San Antonio family and was educated at Texas Military Institute.
==World War I service== During World War I, Tobin served as a pilot in the United States Army Air Service. While he served in the 94th and 103rd Aero Squadrons, he scored all his victories while flying for the 103rd. From 11 July to 28 September 1918, he scored credited with six aerial victories. and an unverified one; one of his wins was shared with fellow ace George W. Furlow. Tobin ended the war with the Distinguished Service Cross and the Croix de Guerre for his actions in combat.<ref name="www.theaerodrome.com">[http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/tobin.php www.theaerodrome.com] Retrieved on 29 June 2010.</ref>
==Business career== After the war, Tobin returned to San Antonio and started a successful business selling Pierce-Arrow automobiles. In the late 1920s, he became interested in the emerging aviation technology and began selling Alexander Eaglerock aircraft.
In 1928, he took over an aerial mapping firm, which became instrumental in surveying the State of Texas and thus enabled the development Texas oil industry. During the Second World War, Tobin served as a civilian aide to General Henry "Hap" Arnold of the United States Army Air Corps.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tobin.com/abouthistorysuccess.asp |title=www.tobin.com |access-date=2010-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626053232/http://www.tobin.com/AboutHistorySuccess.asp |archive-date=2010-06-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He died in the crash of a Grumman Mallard on January 10, 1954 on Wallace Lake, Louisiana <ref>{{cite book |title= ''American Aces of World War I'' |page= 82 }}</ref> along with one of the co-founders of Braniff International Airways, Thomas Elmer Braniff.
==See also== {{Portal|Biography}} * List of World War I flying aces from the United States
==References== {{Reflist}} {{Refbegin}} {{Refend}}
==Bibliography== * ''American Aces of World War I.'' Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|1-84176-375-6}}, {{ISBN|978-1-84176-375-0}}. * Grieve, W. I. "Photogrammetric Pioneers: The Texas Story 1925 and Beyond." ''Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing'' 50, no. 9 (September 1984): 1297-1300. https://www.asprs.org/wp-content/uploads/pers/1984journal/sep/1984_sep_1297-1300.pdf. Accessed 15 May 2024.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tobin, Edgar}} Category:1896 births Category:1954 deaths Category:Military personnel from San Antonio Category:TMI Episcopal alumni Category:United States Army Air Forces officers Category:United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Category:American World War I flying aces
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