Sac History Happenings: In History's Spotlight: Carl Mather

Sac History Happenings

News and developments in Sacramento and California history

September 23, 2012

In History's Spotlight: Carl Mather

Born: 1894
Died: Jan. 25, 1918

Known for: An Air Force test pilot, Mather was killed in an air collision in 1918. Mather Field, later Mather Air Force Base and now Mather Airport, was named for him.

Background: Carl Spencer Mather earned his pilot's license at age 16. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Signal Corps, but five days later, he was killed at Ellington Field in Texas. The remainder of his class was restationed at Mills Field and requested that the facility be renamed in Mather's honor. In January 1919, Mather graduated its 11th class of pilots and training ceased. For the next 22 years, the base lay dormant. As war raged in Europe in 1941, Mather was reborn to train thousands of World War II pilots, navigators and bombardiers. The base's resurgence continued through the Korean War with the addition of Strategic Air Command nuclear bombers. In 1988, Mather was shuttered. In 1995, Mather was reopened as a 2,675-acre cargo airport. An additional 1,432 acres became Mather Regional Park.

A highlight: In 1988, Mather had 1,962 civilian workers and 5,652 military personnel and an annual payroll of $154 million.

--Anthony Sorci

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California and Sacramento have a long, rich, vibrant history. And our region is blessed with an abundance of historical resources maintained by museums, libraries, archives and societies. This blog aims to alert readers to the latest developments in local/state historical education and research.

Send tips concerning upcoming exhibits, tours, lectures and meetings, as well as new books, magazine articles and online collections to the blog's contributors.

The Contributors:

Michael Dolgushkin

Michael Dolgushkin is Manuscript Librarian at the California State Library History Section. He is co-author of San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars and is a frequent contributor to the California State Library Foundation Bulletin. Contact him at mdolgushkin@library.ca.gov.

Amanda Graham is a Certified Archivist working in the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento Public Library. She earned a BS in History from Southern Oregon University and a MS in Information Studies with an emphasis in archives from The University of Texas at Austin. Contact her at agraham@saclibrary.org.

Pete Basofin is Director of Editorial Research at The Sacramento Bee. He previously worked at The St. Petersburg Times and Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. Contact him at pbasofin@sacbee.com.

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