Mason M. Patrick | |
|---|---|
 Patrick in uniform, c. 1926 | |
| Birth name | Mason Mathews Patrick |
| Born | December 13, 1863 Lewisburg, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | January 29, 1942 (aged 78) Walter Reed General Hospital Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1886–1927 |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Commands held | 1st Engineer Regiment US Army Air Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal French Legion of Honor Italian Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus Order of Leopold Order of the British Empire |
| Other work | Author, The United States in the Air (1928) Public Utilities Commissioner, District of Columbia |
Mason Mathews Patrick (December 13, 1863 – January 29, 1942) was a general officer in the United States Army who led the United States Army Air Service during and after World War I and became the first Chief of the Army Air Corps when it was created on July 2, 1926.
He was born and educated in Lewisburg, West Virginia, and at age 18 entered U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he finished second in his class behind classmate John J. Pershing. Early in his career, he served as Chief Engineer for the Army of Cuban Pacification and 1st U.S. Army Engineers on the U.S.-Mexico border. He served in France during World War I and was appointed Chief of Air Service by General Pershing in May 1918. Under his direction the Air Service established experimental facilities at Wright Field, Ohio, and San Antonio, Texas.
In 1926, Patrick drafted and proposed the Air Corps Act (44 Stat. 780) to the Military Affairs Committee of the Congress. The act created the United States Army Air Corps from the existing Air Service. Patrick served as commander of the Air Corps until his retirement in 1927. He died in Washington, D.C., on January 29, 1942. The Patrick Space Force Base in Brevard County, Florida, is named for him.