Collections Feature: Mayor Ben Douglas: Father of CLT

Mayor Ben Douglas, pictured here with his wife Carolyn and three children, was a civic leader, businessman, and family man. “Sunday lunches with the entire family on the lawn at his house were unforgettable,” recalled Diane Douglas Carter, Mayor Douglas’ granddaughter. “However, he would occasionally take us to the Dogwood Room on the top floor of the current ‘Old Terminal.’ Going to the observation deck afterwards was a big hit!”
Diane Douglas Carter

Happy Father’s Day from Sullenberger Aviation Museum! This month we are recognizing Mayor Benjamin E. Douglas Sr., founder of Charlotte Douglas International Airport. From 1935 to 1941, Douglas left a lasting mark as Mayor of Charlotte, helping to build Charlotte Memorial Hospital, Independence Blvd, Memorial Stadium, and Charlotte’s first public housing project. However, one of Douglas’ most notable accomplishments was establishing Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which today bears his name in honor of his efforts

Portrait of Ben Douglas, undated.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Special Collections, Ben E. Douglas Papers

Douglas was born in Iredell County, North Carolina, on September 3, 1894. During World War I, First Lieutenant Douglas served in a US Army machine gun battalion in France. In 1926, he relocated to Charlotte, becoming a prominent businessman as the head of Douglas and Sing Mortuary and a well-known civic leader, with positions of authority in the Kiwanis Club, American Legion, and more. In 1935, Douglas ran for Mayor of Charlotte, using the airport as part of his campaign platform. “There seems to be a sentiment for a municipally owned airport,” Douglas said. “There is nothing personal in it for me or any member of the council. We want to represent the people. To know what they want and to help them get what they want.” Douglas ultimately defeated incumbent Arthur Wearn, beginning the first of his three consecutive mayoral terms.

Mayor Douglas, seventh from right, stands with a group of businessmen, City officials, and WPA representatives holding airport blueprints, circa 1935.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Shortly after assuming office in 1935, Douglas began pursuing the development of a municipal airport. Using his unique talent for securing federal funding, Douglas succeeded in garnering $323,889.47 from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and $57,703.28 in City bonds to fund the airport’s construction. With the finances secure, Douglas directed the City to purchase a 438-acre parcel of land in the rural community of Junea–a decision that would later prove integral to the airport’s growth.

Douglas selected the airport’s location based on its proximity to the Southern Railway tracks and Wilkinson Blvd. While some detractors criticized its distance from uptown Charlotte, the rural location provided much needed room for future expansion projects.
Sullenberger Aviation Museum Collection

The WPA began construction of the Charlotte Municipal Airport in November 1935, resulting in a two-story terminal building, a 11,000-square-foot hangar (now known as the Historic Hangar, home to the Museum’s Aviation City exhibit), a radio beacon tower, and three runways ranging from 2,500 to 3,000 feet in length. On May 17, 1937, a ten-passenger Lockheed Electra became the first scheduled commercial flight to land at the airport, inaugurating Eastern Air Lines’ twice-daily service to Charlotte. In 1941, shortly before Mayor Douglas left office, the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport.

In 1982, after the third purpose-built terminal opened, the airport was renamed ‘Charlotte Douglas International Airport.’
Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Even after leaving office in 1941, Douglas remained deeply involved in the airport’s development. “I knew a city this size had to prepare for the future if it was going to grow,” he said in 1969, while serving on the Airport Advisory Committee. “No city can grow without water and transportation. It needs a lot of other things, but it’s got to have those two.” For decades, Douglas remained a dedicated member of the Committee, helping to guide policies that expanded and modernized the airport’s infrastructure. In 1978, when voters approved a bond measure to fund construction of the current terminal, 83-year-old Douglas joined the celebrations at Marshall Park, proudly proclaiming the bonds as the “grandest thing.”

Douglas’ granddaughter, Diane Douglas Carter, worked at CLT for over a decade, using her experience from the commercial real estate industry to provide value for the airport’s tenants. In this image, Carter is seen standing on CLT’s 3rd parallel runway prior to its commissioning.
Diane Douglas Carter | Charlotte Douglas international Airport

Although Douglas passed away in 1981, before the completion of the third purpose-built terminal, his vision for the airport lives on, including within his own family. Douglas’ granddaughter, Diane Douglas Carter, was a vital part of CLT’s workforce for 15 years, serving as the Commercial Services & Property Manager until March 2023. “I didn’t realize until retirement how much it meant to my entire family that I worked for the transportation hub that he envisioned,” said Carter. “In fact, my grandfather could never have imagined that ‘Douglas Airport’ would grow into the sixth busiest airport in the world.” The airport’s impressive growth stands as a testament to Mayor Douglas’ leadership, which undoubtedly strengthened the city’s economic landscape and helped connect Charlotte with destinations near and far.