Charles Lindbergh biography

The couple started a family with the birth of their first child, Charles Augustus, Jr. At only 20 months old, the boy was kidnapped from their home in 1932. The crime made headlines around the world. The Lindberghs paid the $50,000 ransom, but sadly their son's dead body was found in the nearby woods weeks later.

The police traced the ransom money to Bruno Hauptmann, a carpenter with a criminal record, and arrested him for the crime. To compound Lindbergh's grief,

the ensuing trial of his son's accused killer became a media frenzy. Hauptmann was convicted and later executed in 1936.

To escape the constant media attention, the couple moved to Europe, living in England and then France. Around this time, Lindbergh did some scientific research, inventing an early type of artificial heart with a French surgeon. He also continued his work in aviation, serving on the board of directors for Pan-American World Airways and acting as a special advisor at times. Lindbergh was invited to tour German aviation facilities by Nazi leader Hermann Göring and was impressed by what he saw.

Concerned that German air power was unbeatable, Lindbergh became involved with the America First Organization, which advocated that the United States stay neutral in the war in Europe. His position on the war, eroded his public support, and some believed that he had Nazi sympathies. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Lindbergh became active in the war effort, working with Henry Ford on bombers and acting as an advisor and test pilot for United Aircraft.

Final Years

After the war, Lindbergh wrote several books, including Of Flight and Life (1948) and The Spirit of St. Louis (1953), which won the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. He also lobbied for environmental preservation. In his later years, he and his wife moved to the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Lindbergh died of cancer on August 26, 1974, in his remote Maui home. He was survived by his wife and five living children: Jon, Land, Anne, Scott and Reeve. Reports surfaced in 2003 that he had three other children with a German woman with whom he reportedly had a long-term affair.

Despite any personal controversies, Lindbergh is credited with helping to usher in the age of commercial aviation. His incredible acts of courage continue to inspire others. His grandson, Erik Lindbergh, recreated the flight that made his grandfather famous in 2002.

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