Alexander Blair Thaw

Alexander Blair Thaw was an aero inventor. As of early 1914, he characterized himself as a Student on a patent filing, and gave his address as Morewood Place, Pittsburgh. In 1915 he filed from Manhattan, New York City.

Solid British patent data from 1912 has him as a Student filing from Morewood Place, Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in the United States.

There are a couple of identifiable Alexander Blair Thaws from Pittsburgh; presumably one of these is the patentee but there are doubts either way:

• 1861 - 1937 - poet? sometimes described as living 1857-1937
• 1898 - 1918 - an aero guy, but seems too young for a 1912ish patent when he would have been only about 13 ; was in US air aviation - died in WWI, in France at 19 [1] - possibly this is a Junior, ABT II so to speak, and that the FATHER is the patentee

Many sources about various AB Thaws -- let's sort thru these someday

• https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/36a631a0-2164-0136-776f-0012089e7932#/?uuid=352bfd70-2164-0136-ed01-0d8425abbdc8
• Wealthy Pittsburgh family patriarch with mansion [2]
• A major figure was William Thaw, who comes up elsewhere (or maybe there are several by that name) -- see below for reports about him too
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170660308/alexander-blair-thaw
• https://www.loc.gov/item/2014704784/
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Thaw-11
• https://www.nytimes.com/1937/10/06/archives/alexander-b-thaw-a-writer-of-poems-helped-endow-home-for-babies.html
• https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=149774
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56342476/alexander-blair-thaw <== Jr.!!
• https://www.geni.com/people/Eliza-Thaw/6000000011943769405
• https://www.ebay.ca/itm/352847000961
• https://www.lohud.com/story/money/real-estate/homes/2014/12/05/thaw-houses-piermont-pittsburgh/19946225/
• https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Advanced-Search?r=1&st1=3&t1=Thaw%2C+Alexander+Blair%2C+1861-1937
• https://www.myheritage.com/names/blair_thaw
• https://www.ebay.com/itm/353257928458
• https://www.abebooks.com/signed/PAESTUM-POEMS-Alexander-Blair-Thaw/1332235678/bd
• https://www.amazon.com/Poems-Alexander-Blair-Thaw/dp/116375966X
• https://www.theatlantic.com/author/alexander-blair-thaw/
• https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?filters%5BnamePart_mtxt_s%5D%5B%5D=Thaw%2C+Alexander+Blair%2C+1857-1937&keywords=&layout=false
• https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/36a631a0-2164-0136-776f-0012089e7932#/?uuid=352bfd70-2164-0136-ed01-0d8425abbdc8
• https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmcl/1419/ - letter to john muir circa 1895 -- could compare handwriting
• https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/3181/
• https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AAlexander+Blair+Thaw&s=relevancerank&text=Alexander+Blair+Thaw&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
• https://www.geni.com/people/Dr-Alexander-Thaw/6000000029665558879 -- 1861 - 1937
• https://historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt%3AUS-QQS-MSS29/viewer

Patents whose inventor or applicant is Alexander Blair Thaw

• Patent FR-1912-444545 (English title: Stabilizer device of security for aeroplanes, Filing date: 1912-06-03)
• Patent GB-1912-24782 (English title: Improvements in Stabilizers for Aeroplanes, Filing date: 1912-10-29)
• Patent US-1913-1158333 (English title: Stabilizer for aeroplanes, Filing date: 1913-01-24)
• Patent GB-1913-4673 (English title: Improvements in Stabilizers for Aeroplanes, Filing date: 1913-02-24)
• Patent FR-1913-455014 (English title: Improvements to airplane stabilizers, Supplementary to patent: Patent US-1912-10-08 Alexander Blair Thaw, Filing date: 1913-03-04)
• Patent FR-1913-456137 (English title: Improvements to airplane stabilizers, Supplementary to patent: Patent US-1913-1158333, Filing date: 1913-03-07)
• Patent AT-1913-67259 (English title: Automatic control device for aircraft, Supplementary to patent: Patent US-1913-1158333, Filing date: 1913-03-07)
• Patent US-1914-1169695 (English title: Stabilizer for aeroplanes, Filing date: 1914-01-14)
• Patent US-1914-1151419 (English title: Speed-controller for aeroplanes, Filing date: 1914-01-29)
• Patent GB-1914-5214 (English title: Improvements in Stabilisers for Aeroplanes, Supplementary to patent: Patent US-1914-1169695, Filing date: 1914-02-28)
• Patent BE-1914-265367 (English title: Improvements to stabilizers for aeroplanes, Supplementary to patent: Patent US-1914-1169695, Filing date: 1914-03-05)
• Patent FR-1914-473230 (English title: Improvements to airplane stabilizers, Supplementary to patent: Patent US-1914-1169695, Filing date: 1914-03-05)
• Patent US-1915-1291254 (English title: Actuator for aeroplane-stabilizers, Filing date: 1915-12-20)
• Patent CA-1915-168370 (English title: Speed controller for aeroplanes, Filing date: 1915-12-27)
• Patent CA-1915-168371 (English title: Speed controller for aeroplanes, Filing date: 1915-12-27)

Publications by or about William Thaw or W. Thaw

• Thaw, 1915, William Thaw, honored by France, writes of thrilling experiences (Simple title: William Thaw, honored by France, writes of thrilling experiences, Journal: Aerial Age)

References

Names	Alexander Blair Thaw
Birth date
Death date
Countries	US
Locations	Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, PA, Manhattan, New York City, NY
Occupations	student
Tech areas	Airplane, Safety, Stability, Electricity
Affiliations
Wikidata id