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1960s Handbook: Mohawk Airlines

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The 1960s Handbook takes a closer look at the cultural references that appear in each week's episode of Mad Men.

Though today many mega-airlines whisk globetrotters around the planet, the horizons were a little less crowded in the early 1950s. Helmed by company president Bob Peach since 1954, Mohawk Airlines began as a local carrier based in New York where it conducted intra-state travel as well as trips to Boston and Newark. Peach wasted no time in making Mohawk a viable force in the industry. And as business boomed, he outfitted his Convair 440 planes with black and gold stripes to underscore how cosmopolitan air travel had become. His success was short-lived however.

A series of flight attendant strikes set business back in the early sixties, and loosened Peach's tenuous grip on his company even as flight continued to thrive as the way to travel. Virtually bankrupt, Mohawk was purchased by Allegheny with a no-cash deal that merged the airline with its former competitor. Peach, bereft and unemployed since the merger, committed suicide soon thereafter. Mohawk continued in its new form until 1972, when the airline was again absorbed via a high-stakes merger, this time becoming part of present-day US Airways.

Posted by Annsley Chapman
August 7, 2008 12:44am

Filed under: 1960s Handbook

Comments

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By deepak on August 7, 2008 6:30 AM

See? This is why they needed Sterling Cooper.

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By Deborah Lipp on August 7, 2008 10:48 AM

Oh, God, now I feel bad about Don letting him go! Poor guy killed himself.

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By Frighgigh on August 9, 2008 12:20 PM

Neat Trademark!! Looks like they stole it from the Sante Fe Railroad!

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By Lord Bottletop on August 12, 2008 12:04 PM

My childhood friend's family flew Mohawk from Newark to Niagara Falls for a family vacation around 1961 or so. My family saw them off. It was the first time I ever went to an airport--back then it was white gloves for the ladies, observation decks and a lot of glamour. My friend brought me back a coin bank from Niagara Falls. I still have it.

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By countermoon9 on August 13, 2008 12:04 AM

A watershed event in the life of Mohawk was a plane crash in one of their - at the time - busy connecting cities, Rochester, NY. right around the time of the Mad Men setting. Could make for an interesting story line...

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By Marc Cyfre on August 5, 2010 5:06 PM

A few details are wrong: Mohawk began as Robinson Airlines, based in Ithaca. Renamed as Mohawk it was based at the Oneida County Airport outside of Utica, NY. Peach grew it from an air taxi service with a single four-seat aircraft to a large regional airline with turboprops and jets. Mohawk was extremely forward-looking and aggressive in its expansion. An unexpected downturn in air travel in the late '60s struck just as Mohawk had taken on massive debt for expansion of headquarters and equipment. This threatened Peach's control, and the perfect storm grew further with a long and bitter pilot's strike that left Mohawk no longer viable as an independent entity. Peach, who had built it all, and had now seen it all destroyed, blew his brains out at his home in Clinton, NY.

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By mulletman on August 22, 2010 4:37 PM

As a member of the Minge family, and relative of Mr. Robert Peach, I would like to see if anyone knows how to get in touch with Minge Clarke Peach or any of the sons and family of Mr. Peach. I believe she may have moved to Fla. I hope she may still be living. Regardless i would like to hear something of the family.
My name is Ed Minge and we lived in Jax., Fla growing up. 678-628-3090, ecminges@msn.com

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By Ben912 on August 23, 2010 12:05 PM

Excellent clarification Marc. You're right on track. My Dad worked side-by-side with Bob Peach at Mohawk. He and Minge were good friends with my parents. Bob had divorced Minge and married another woman before his suicide. Ed, there is a Mohawk group at Yahoo Groups called Mohawk Memories. They may be able to put you in touch with some members of the family. I've never watched Mad Men but heard about the reference to Mohawk. I'll have to check out the show.

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By sTs on February 3, 2011 10:51 PM

A few more corrections to the details regarding Mohawk Airlines. Mohawk was merged with Allegheny in 1972, which eventually became USAir in 1979, then US Airways in the late 1990's.