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Lawson Airplane Company Factory
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Alfred W. Lawson (second from right) and his employees in front of his South Milwaukee factory with the center section of his new airplane, the Lawson Midnight Airliner L-4. Lawson designed and built several large planes in Milwaukee after World War I and is said to have coined the name airliner because his planes were designed to carry a relatively large number of passengers. Lawson's first airliner successfully flew a 2000-mile demonstration trip to New York, Washington, D.C., and back to Milwaukee in 1919 carrying 15 passengers. His second plane, the Midnight Liner L-4, was even larger, with a wingspan of 117 feet. Powered by three Liberty engines, the L-4 was designed to carry 34 passengers with overnight accommodations. The L-4 plane crashed on its first takeoff attempt in 1921. This exhausted Lawson's financial resources in Milwaukee and virtually ended his career in aviation.
1920
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W013IL2
WHi 10499
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Lawson's Great Airliner
1921
The completed Lawson L-4, the second and larger airplane designed and built by Alfred Lawson in Milwaukee in 1920. Not only was Lawson's airliner intended to carry 34 passengers, but he planned for...
Alfred W. Lawson Receives Highest Award from Aerial League of America, Page Four
1919
Fourth page of a four-page pamphlet advertising Alfred Lawson and, by extension, his line of airliners. Includes eight photographs and drawings of Lawson Airliners, including a drawing of his propo...
Alfred Lawson Endorsement Letter
September 14, 1920
Letter from Phil A. Grau, Business Manager for the Milwaukee Association of Commerce, to the Secretary of State for Illinois (Louis L. Emmerson), endorsing Alfred Lawson for "any aircraft project w...
Lawson Poster
1979
Color poster printed to honor the 60th anniversary of Alfred Lawson's flight from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C. The poster includes a portrait of Lawson and an illustration of the 26-passenger Law...
The United States Mail via the Modern Airliner
1919
Slightly elevated view of men loading bags marked "U.S. Mail" from a truck into a Lawson Airliner No. 2. Alfred Lawson in his flight gear is standing on a step ladder near the open hatch on the rig...
Alfred Lawson Comparing Palmer and Goodyear Cord Aero Tyres
1920
Alfred Lawson standing behind a Palmer cord aero tyre, which is sitting next to a smaller Goodyear cord tire. The smaller Goodyear tire was used for Lawson's 1919 air liner, and the larger Palmer t...
