Howard C. Knotts Collection

The Howard C. Knotts collection primarily covers the period of Knotts' life from 1915 to 1921, with a few materials relating to his work in aviation law and his death in 1942. Knotts delayed his stay at Harvard Law School long enough to join the United States Aviation Corps to fight in WWI, where he shot down several German planes and eventually became a POW. Ultimately, Knotts-having earned the Distinguished Service Cross from the U.S. and the Distinguished Flying Cross from the U.K.-returned to Springfield and practiced law, even writing much civil aviation code, until his untimely death in 1942. The majority of materials in the collection focus on his military experiences in WWI and the beginning of his career in aviation law.