Frederick Joseph Wiseman

ARTIF CO E 8 CAL INF

He was the first man to fly airmail from Petaluma to Santa Rosa as a stunt in 1911. He was a retired oil executive at Standard Oil.

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FRED J. WISEMAN, retired, was born Nov. 10, 1875, at Santa Rosa, one of the original California boys. After schooling here he engaged in the bicycle business and racing. In 1916 he went with J. W. Leavitt & Co., a San Francisco automobile concern and graduated into automobile racing, winning considerable fame not only on the west coast but in the Chicago area.
 In 1909 he was in Dayton at the Wright's home-coming celebration. That first Los Angeles meet of January, 1910, stirred him further and he and J. W. Peters built a finely made biplane with Hall-Scott 60 engine along the lines of Paulhan's Farman of 1910. This was flown by Peters the middle of 1910 and Wiseman took it to the San Francisco meet of January, 1911, on then Selfridge Field. Wiseman was the star of the novice flyers' the professional stars were Radley, Parmalee, Willard, Brookins, Latham. Here, Ely flew to the warship and Lieut. Crissy dropped live bombs for the first time.
    .On Feb. 17, 1911, Wiseman made the first air mail flight, carrying letters, newespapers and merchants' orders on a cross-country route of 12 miles between Petaluma and Santa Rosa. He was not a sworn carrier so his feat is not "official."
    .Right after the Tanforan meet he launched an exhibition tour through the State of Washington, later - barnstorming California.
    .In the following years he returned to the automotive business, and then as a specialist for Standard Oil of California. He at last retired, after 25 years with this company.
    .The Wiseman plane may still be seen at Oakland Airport. It is scheduled for the National Air Museum.

from CHIRP, APRIL 1949 - CLEVELAND, OHIO - NUMBER 40 courtesy of Steve Remington - CollectAir