Alexander Kartveli, born Aleksandre Kartvelishvili, was born on September 9, 1896, in Tbilisi, Georgia. He was the son of Helen Kishmishef Kartveli. He was married to Jeanne S. Smith Kartveli. He studied aviation engineering in France, graduating in 1922. After a serious test-flight injury ended his brief career as a pilot, he turned fully to aircraft design, working with Louis Blériot and creating record-setting aircraft in the 1920s. In 1927, he moved to the United States, where he joined Atlantic Aircraft and later became chief engineer at Seversky Aircraft Corporation, which evolved into Republic Aviation Company, marking the beginning of his most influential work in American military aviation.

Working with Alexander de Seversky, Kartvelishvili designed a series of advanced aircraft that significantly improved U.S. military aviation. Their early work produced the Seversky P-35, the first modern U.S. Army fighter, and later the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, one of the most effective American fighter aircraft of World War II. Kartvelishvili’s designs marked a major leap forward from earlier, lightly armed fighters, introducing all-metal construction and advanced features that helped shape U.S. air power during the war.

After Seversky’s removal in 1939, Alexander Kartveli became the driving force behind the newly formed Republic Aviation Company. His most famous achievement there was the P-47 Thunderbolt, a heavily armed, exceptionally rugged fighter produced in more than 15,000 units and one of the most effective U.S. aircraft of World War II. After the war, Kartveli led the Republic into the jet age with the F-84 Thunderjet and its swept-wing successor, the F-84F Thunderstreak, with about 10,000 built. He later headed development of the F-105 Thunderchief, a Mach-2 supersonic strike aircraft central to U.S. Cold War strategy. Beyond these, Kartveli worked on advanced and experimental projects—including the XF-12, XF-103, and early aerospaceplane concepts—and later served as a consultant and principal designer of the A-10 Thunderbolt II, making him one of the most influential aircraft designers in U.S. military aviation history.

Alexander Kartveli died of a fatal heart attack on July 20, 1974, and was laid to rest at Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum in East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York, USA. In recognition of his lasting legacy, the airport in Batumi, western Georgia, was later named in his honor.

Source of information and photo: en.wikipedia.org