Caleb Bragg

Caleb Smith Bragg

Born (1885-11-23)November 23, 1885
Cincinnati, Ohio
Died October 24, 1943(1943-10-24) (aged 57)
New York City, New York

Caleb Smith Bragg (23 November 1885 24 October 1943) was an American racecar driver, speedboat racer, aviation pioneer, and automotive inventor.[1] He participated in the 1911, 1913 and 1914 Indianapolis 500. In speedboat racing, Caleb won three consecutive APBA Challenge Cup races in Detroit from 1923-1925.[2] He was a co-inventor of the Bragg-Kliesrath brake.[1]

Biography

He was born on November 23, 1885 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Cais C. Bragg and Eugenia Hofer who were wealthy.[3] While at Yale University he became interested in automobile racing.[3] He graduated from Yale in 1908 and took a post-graduate engineering course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1909.[1] During World War I he became interested in flying airplanes and in 1916 he flew his first solo flight; he later set airplane records for speed and altitude.[3]

He developed a braking system with Victor William Kliesrath called the Bragg-Kliesrath brake. They formed a company in 1920 and Ethel Merman was his personal secretary before she became famous.[3] They sold the company to Bendix Corporation in the late 1920s.[4]

In speedboat racing, Caleb won three consecutive APBA Challenge Cup races in Detroit from 1923-1925.

He died on 24 October 1943 in New York City, New York.[1]

Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1911 39 35 37 24 0 Crash in pits
1913 19 1 87.340 2 15 128 1 Pump shaft
1914 21 9 92.970 7 19 117 1 Camshaft
Totals 269 2
Starts 3
Poles 1
Front Row 1
Wins 0
Top 5 0
Top 10 0
Retired 3

Gallery

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Caleb Smith Bragg, Dies. Flier, Auto Racer, Pioneer in Automotive Field. Also Noted as an Inventor and Speedboat Pilot". New York Times. October 25, 1943. Retrieved 2011-04-23. Caleb S. Bragg, long a leading figure in the aviation, automobile and motorboat fields, died here on Sunday in Memorial Hospital after a long illness at the age of 56. An engineer and the inventor or co-inventor of many automobile devices, including the widely used Bragg-Kliesrath brake perfected by him and the late Victor W. Kliesrath. Mr. Bragg won fame as a pioneer automobile racing driver, and Army test pilot during the first World War, a champion altitude flier, aviation manufacturing company officer, consulting engineer and amateur sportsman. He resided at 277 Park Avenue and at Montauk Point, L.I.
  2. "Caleb Smith Bragg". Early Aviators. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Kellow, Brian (2008). Ethel Merman : a life. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780143114208.
  4. Schoneberger, L.A. "Pat" Hyland ; edited by W.A. (1993). Call me Pat : the autobiography of the man Howard Hughes chose to lead Hughes Aircraft. Virginia Beach, VA: Donning Co./Publishers. p. 147. ISBN 9780898658736.
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