Anton Herman Gerard 'Anthony' Fokker (April 6, 1890 – December 23, 1939), was born in Kediri (Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia) and became a Dutch aircraft manufacturer.

At age 20 Fokker created his first plane — the Spin (Spider) — in 1910. In his own country he became a celebrity by flying around the tower of the Sint-Bavokerk in Haarlem on August 31, 1911. He also added to his fame for flying on the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina. During World War I he made many planes for the Germans including the Fokker Dr.I, the triplane made famous by Manfred von Richthofen, the so called Red Baron.

Fokker gained fame during World War I by building planes for Germany. Due to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was not allowed to build aircraft or even aircraft engines after the war so Fokker moved back to the Netherlands and started a new aircraft company in 1919. His focus shifted from military to civil aircraft. In 1922, he moved to the United States and later assumed American citizenship.

Fokker died in New York in 1939 of complications of a sinus surgery. He was 49 years old.

His nickname was The Flying Dutchman.

Anthony Fokker was the inventor of the interrupter gear.

1890 births | 1939 deaths | Aerospace engineers | Aviation magnates | Dutch businesspeople | National Aviation Hall of Fame

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