Laurence J. Hansen

Laurence Hansen (b. December 11, 1917) was born in Cleveland, Ohio. From 1936 to 1937, he attended Fenn College in Cleveland.

During the Second World War, Hansen rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force. During the course of the war he was, "decorated with the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal and the Legion of Merit."

From November 1942 to November 1946, Hansen served as the personal pilot for General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Hansen retired from the military in November 1946 and went to work for his family’s manufacturing firm in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1983 he wrote an account of his experiences as Eisenhower’s pilot. The booklet was published by Aero-Medical Consultants, Inc., of Largo, Florida, under the title What It was Like Flying for “Ike.”