Ruth Bancroft Law

Ruth Law Oliver (May 21, 1887 – December 1, 1970) was a pioneer American aviator during the 1910s.

Early life and learning to fly (1887–1912) She was born Ruth Bancroft Law on May 21, 1887, to Sarah Bancroft Breed and Frederick Henry Law in Lynn, Massachusetts. with whom she challenged herself to physically keep up during their childhood.

Law's first airplane was purchased directly from Orville Wright by her husband, but in her name. She was instructed by Harry Atwood and Arch Freeman at Atwood Park in Saugus, Massachusetts, having been refused lessons by Orville Wright because, according to Law, he believed that women weren't mechanically inclined, but this only made her more determined, later saying "The surest way to make me do a thing is to tell me I can't do it." She was an adept mechanic, described by a reporter in her own time as being able to hear something wrong with her airplane and find her own solution to fix it.

In the spring of 1916, she took part in an altitude competition, twice narrowly coming in second to male fliers. She was furious, determined to set a record that would stand against men as well as women.

Her greatest feat took place on 19 November 1916, when she broke the existing cross-America flight air speed record of set by Victor Carlstrom by flying nonstop from Chicago to New York State, a distance of . The next day she flew on to New York City. Flying over Manhattan, her fuel cut out, but she glided to a safe landing on Governors Island and was met by United States Army Captain Henry "Hap" Arnold (who changed her spark plugs in the Curtiss pusher), who would one day become Commanding General of the United States Army Air Forces. President Woodrow Wilson attended a dinner held in her honor on December 2, 1916. Later that same month, she was called upon to spell the word "liberty" in the air by the Statue of Liberty as it was being illuminated for the very first time. Stung by her rejection, she wrote an article entitled "Let Women Fly!" in the magazine Air Travel, where she argued that her success in aviation should prove a woman's fitness for work in the field.

Despite not being allowed to fly military aircraft, Law did use her flight skills to contribute to the war effort. During exhibitions, she threw flyers from her airplane to raise money for Liberty Loan drives and the Red Cross, as well as encouraging enlistment.

Late career (1919–1922) After the war, Law continued to set records while running her own plane barnstorming troupe, "Ruth Law's Flying Circus". After Raymonde de Laroche of France set a women's altitude record of nearly on 7 June 1919, Law broke Laroches record on 10 June, flying to . That same year, Law became the first person to deliver official U.S. mail to the Philippines by air. She acquiesced to his demand.

Post-career life (1932–1970) She attributed a 1932 nervous breakdown to the lack of flying, having settled down in Los Angeles, spending her days gardening. She is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Lynn, Massachusetts.