James A. Wooten (October 15, 1913[1] – May 31, 1985) was an American transportation and aviation entrepreneur. After beginning his career in the trucking industry, he moved into commercial aviation and served as president of Alaska Airlines during a period of rapid growth following World War II. In that role he directed Operation Magic Carpet, the 1949–1950 airlift that carried tens of thousands of Yemenite Jews from Aden to the new state of Israel. He later founded the charter carrier Near East Transport and led the all-cargo U. S. Airlines. A lifelong Baptist, Wooten received a commendation from Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion for his work on behalf of Jewish refugees.[2][3]
James Wooten | |
|---|---|
 Wooten, c. 1947 | |
| Born | October 15, 1913 |
| Died | May 31, 1985 (aged 71) Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupations | Aviation and transport executive |
| Known for | President Alaska Airlines (1947–1949) Directing Operation Magic Carpet |
Early life and trucking
editWooten founded his own trucking company in Indianapolis at the age of 19. After about eleven years in the freight business, he joined the newly created air cargo division of American Airlines in 1943, eventually becoming its general manager.[2]
Alaska Airlines
editIn June 1947, Alaska Airlines, then a small carrier based in Anchorage, named Wooten its president.[4][2] Under his leadership the airline acquired surplus United States military transport aircraft, including Douglas DC-3s, DC-4s and C-46s, and took part in the Berlin Airlift.[2][5][6] By 1950, shortly after Wooten's departure, Alaska Airlines was the world's largest non-scheduled air carrier.[6] The carrier's charter operations were later curtailed after the Civil Aeronautics Board imposed heavy fines for safety violations.[7]
Operation Magic Carpet
edit
As president of Alaska Airlines, Wooten directed Operation Magic Carpet, the airlift of Yemenite Jews from Aden to Israel between December 1948 and September 19, 1950.[2][8][9] Accounts place the number of refugees carried at between roughly 45,000 and 49,000.[2][5][10] The aircraft, two DC-4s and a C-46, flew more than 430 charter flights on a route where they were sometimes fired upon and had to refuel at Asmara, and Wooten piloted some of the flights himself.[5][10][8] According to the JDC Archives, his then-wife, Phyllis Taber Wooten, accompanied him on some flights and acted as a flight attendant.[8] The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which organized and financed the operation, preserved a recording of Wooten's own account of one of the flights.[8][11] Wooten also airlifted thousands of Jews from Shanghai to Israel in 1949.[2][3]
Near East Transport and later career
editIn 1950, Wooten left Alaska Airlines to form his own carrier, Near East Transport, based in Rome. The company flew thousands of Jewish refugees from Iran and Iraq to Israel as part of Operation Ezra and Nehemiah.[2][3] For this work on behalf of Jewish refugees, Wooten, a lifelong Baptist, received a commendation from Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.[2][3] In September 1951 he became president and a director of U. S. Airlines, a scheduled all-cargo carrier.[2][12] In his later years, with his health declining, he concentrated on business investments.[2]
Death
editWooten died at his home in Orlando, Florida, on May 31, 1985, at the age of 71.[2]
External links
edit- "James Wooten's Home Movies", digitized footage of the Aden airlift, JDC Archives
- Wooten's recorded account of an Operation Magic Carpet flight, JDC Archives
References
edit- ↑ Who's Who in America 1956-1957: Vol 29. Chicago: Marquis. 1956. p. 2844.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "JAMES A. WOOTEN, DIRECTOR OF '49 AIRLIFT OF YEMENI JEWS". The New York Times. 1985-06-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- 1 2 3 4 "James Wooten Dead at 71". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2015-03-20. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ↑ "Alaska Airlines Gets New Chief". St. Petersburg Times. June 3, 1947. p. 11.
- 1 2 3 Goettler, Caitlin (September 22, 2017). "From the archives: How Alaska Airlines evacuated 49,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel 'on the wings of eagles'". Alaska Airlines. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- 1 2 Satterfield, Archie (1981). The Alaska Airlines Story. Anchorage: Alaska Northwest Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0882401652.
- ↑ Glab, Jim (December 1, 2007). "Alaska Airlines 75th Anniversary". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 "James Wooten's Home Movies | JDC Archives". Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ↑ ""Magic Carpet" from Aden". The Palestine Post. February 28, 1949. p. 3.
- 1 2 "Alaska Airlines and the Jews of Yemen". Aish. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
- ↑ James Wooten – Operation Magic Carpet, retrieved 2023-11-16
- ↑ "Wooten Elected President of United States Airlines". St. Joseph News-Press. September 22, 1951. p. 3.
Further reading
edit- Meir-Glitzenstein, Esther (2014). The "Magic Carpet" Exodus of Yemenite Jewry: An Israeli Formative Myth. Brighton: Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-84519-616-5.