Richard Evelyn Byrd III
Gravestone at Arlington National Cemetery
Born(1920-02-19)February 19, 1920
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Diedc. October 3, 1988(1988-10-03) (aged 68)
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Financial advisor, Naval officer
Parent

Richard Evelyn Byrd III (February 19, 1920 – c. October 3, 1988), usually referred to as Richard E. Byrd Jr., was a United States naval officer, Antarctic explorer, and the son of Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd.

Biography

Early life

Richard Evelyn Byrd III was born on February 19, 1920[1] to famed naval aviator and explorer Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. and his wife, Marie Donaldson Ames. The younger Richard was a graduate of Milton Academy and Harvard College.[2]

Military career

During World War II he was commissioned an ensign in the Naval Reserve on April 6, 1942 and was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) on January 1, 1944. He was promoted to lieutenant by the war's end and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve after the war. He accompanied his father on Operation Highjump to explore Antarctica in 1946.

Personal life

In 1948, he married Emily Saltonstall (d. 2006), the daughter of longtime Massachusetts Senator Leverett Saltonstall. They divorced in 1960, with Byrd losing custody of their four sons.[3] He had five children and six grandchildren. He worked as a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley.

Death

He died on or about October 3, 1988, at the age of 68. His body was found in a warehouse in Baltimore, Maryland. He had gone missing on September 13, 1988, after being placed on a train in Boston bound for Washington, D.C. Byrd was supposed to attend a National Geographic Society event honoring the 100th anniversary of his father's birth, but never arrived.[2]

The cause of his death was dehydration and malnutrition which resulted from Alzheimer's disease.[4]

He was buried, near his father, in Arlington National Cemetery.[1][5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Episode 39 & 45b: A Statue and Graves in Arlington, Virginia". www.antarctic-circle.org. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
  2. 1 2 "Man Found Dead Was No Derelict Adm. Byrd's Only Son Died In Old Warehouse". Orlando Sentinel. 9 October 1988. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
  3. ↑ Wilson, Michael (2024-01-09). "A Famous Explorer, an Obsessive Son and the Reappearance of Flag No. 98". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  4. ↑ Ap (1988-10-29). "Death of Admiral's Son Explained by Coroner". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
  5. ↑ Kerr, Peter (October 9, 1988). "Body of Adm. Byrd's Son, 68, Found in Empty Warehouse". The New York Times.
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