Raymond Orteig - Offer of The Prize

Offer of The Prize

In 1919 he attended a dinner in New York organised by the Aero Club of America in early 1919 honouring the American flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. Many of the speeches involved Franco-American friendship and Rickenbacher had looked forward to the day that the two countries were linked by air. Inspired by Rickenbacher's speech Orteig offered a prize of $25,000 to the first person of any Allied country to fly in one flight in either direction between New York and Paris. The offer was made in a letter to Alan Ramsay Hawley president of the Aero Club of America on Thursday 22 May 1919. At the time relations were strained between America and France by negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference so as well the encouragement of air travel and the public relations value to his business Orteig hoped that it would assist in a rapprochement between his adopted and native countries. His offer was accepted by the Aero Club who set up a formal structure to administer it. The prize was valid for 5 years.

After it's original term had expired Orteig reissued the prize on 1 June 1925 by depositing $25,000 in negotiable securities at the Bryant Bank with the awarding put under the control of a 7 member board of trustees.

Orteig and his wife were on holiday in Pau, France when he received a message from his son Raymond Jr that Charles Lindbergh had departed on his attempt. Orteig immediately travelled to Paris, arriving just before the Spirit of St. Louis touched down. He was able to meet Lindbergh at the American Embassy on 22 May 1927, eight years to the day since he had first offered the prize. Upon his depart from Paris to Belgium Lindbergh dropped a message of thanks to the local citizens from the Spirit of St. Louis as he flew over the Place del al Concorde. The message was attached to a French flag. Upon being retrieved the flag was presented to Orteig who displayed it on the wall of the Lafayette until his family removed it in protest at Lindbergh's involvement in the America First Movement.

Upon Lindbergh's return to America Orteig officially presented the prize to him on 16 June 1927 at a ceremony held in the reception hall of the Breevort Hotel in New York.

Orteig died on 6 June 1939 in French Hospital in New York after a long illness, with 500 people attending his funeral.

He was married to French American Marie Ruisquès, by whom he had three sons, Evariste, Raymond Jr and Jean. The two oldest children married daughters of his tong time business partner Elie Daution.