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Chicago O'Hare International Airport is named after World War II naval aviator Lieutenant Commander Edward Butch O'Hare. O'Hare was a war hero who became the Navy's first Medal of Honor recipient during the war. On November 27, 1943, he was lost during an attack on a Japanese bomber formation and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. In 1949, the Chicago City Council officially renamed the airport after O'Hare, and it has since become one of the busiest airports in the world.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the airport | O'Hare International Airport |
| Who is it named after | Lieutenant Commander Edward Butch O'Hare |
| Year of renaming | 1949 |
| Previous name | Orchard Field/Orchard Road/Orchard Place |
| Airport code | ORD |
| Year of opening | 1955 |
| Number of passengers in the first year | 176,902 |
| Number of aircraft movements in 2019 | 919,704 |
| Number of runways | 8 |
| Ranking by aircraft movements in 2019 | 1st in the world |
| Ranking by busyness in 2024 | 4th busiest airport in the world |
| Ranking by size in 2024 | 16th largest airport in the world |
| Connection | Non-stop flights to 249 destinations in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the North Atlantic region |
| Hotel on airport property | Hilton Chicago O'Hare |
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What You'll Learn
Chicago O'Hare Airport is named after Butch O'Hare
Chicago O'Hare International Airport is named after Butch O'Hare, a celebrated World War II naval aviator and war hero. Born in 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri, O'Hare joined the Navy and began flight training in Pensacola, Florida, in 1940. He received his first carrier assignment, the USS Saratoga, the following year and later transferred to the USS Enterprise. By February 1942, he was a section leader of Fighting Squadron 3, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington.
On November 27, 1943, Lieutenant Commander O'Hare was leading the Navy's first night fighter operation near Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands when he was lost during an attack on a Japanese bomber formation. In just four minutes, he had shot down five enemy planes, becoming the first American ace of World War II. For his bravery, skill, and determination, Butch O'Hare was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1942. He was also posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
In 1949, to honour his memory, Chicago's airport was renamed O'Hare International Airport. The airport officially opened to commercial traffic in 1955, serving 176,902 passengers in its first year. O'Hare Airport has since become one of the busiest airports in the world, with non-stop flights to 249 destinations across the globe as of 2024.
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Who was Butch O'Hare?
Chicago's O'Hare Airport is named after World War II fighter pilot and Navy Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1914, O'Hare was the son of lawyer Edward Joseph "Easy Eddie" O'Hare, who was a close associate of Al Capone.
Butch O'Hare attended Western Military Academy, where he excelled in both academics and sports. He graduated in 1932 and went on to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. He graduated in 1937 and was appointed an Ensign, serving two years on the battleship USS New Mexico. In 1939, he began flight training at NAS Pensacola in Florida, and was designated a Naval Aviator in May 1940.
During World War II, O'Hare became the Navy's first ace, shooting down five Japanese bombers in less than five minutes on February 20, 1942. For his bravery and skill, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
On November 27, 1943, O'Hare was lost during an attack on a Japanese bomber formation near Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. In 1949, Chicago's airport was renamed O'Hare International Airport in his honour.
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Butch O'Hare's father, Easy Eddie
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is named after Butch O'Hare, a World War II naval aviator and recipient of the Medal of Honor. Butch O'Hare was the son of Edward Joseph "Easy Eddie" O'Hare, a lawyer who worked for Al Capone and later helped federal prosecutors convict Capone of tax evasion.
Easy Eddie O'Hare was born on September 5, 1893, in St. Louis, Missouri, to first-generation Irish-American parents. He became a lawyer and moved to Chicago, where he began working with Al Capone, the notorious mobster who ran the city. Easy Eddie was Capone's lawyer and was very skilled at his job, keeping Capone out of jail on multiple occasions. However, in 1930, Easy Eddie had a change of heart and decided to help the authorities bring Capone to justice. He testified against Capone, knowing that his life would be in danger, and within the year, he was shot and killed on a lonely street in Chicago.
Easy Eddie O'Hare's son, Butch, went on to become a naval officer and a fighter pilot during World War II. In 1940, he received his first carrier assignment on the USS Saratoga and later transferred to the USS Enterprise. In July of that year, he met his wife, Judy, and they were married within six weeks. By 1942, Butch O'Hare had become a section leader of Fighting Squadron 3, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. During one mission, he single-handedly attacked a squadron of Japanese planes, shooting down five of them and becoming the first American ace of World War II. For his bravery and skill, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Butch O'Hare's heroic actions stood in stark contrast to his father's less-than-noble past, and they helped rewrite the O'Hare family legacy from one of crime to one of virtuosity. In 1949, Chicago's Orchard Depot Airport was renamed O'Hare International Airport in honor of Butch O'Hare, paying tribute to his service and sacrifice. A model of the plane he flew during World War II is on display in Terminal 2 of the airport, serving as a reminder of his remarkable bravery and selflessness.
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Easy Eddie's involvement with Al Capone
Edward Joseph "Easy Eddie" O'Hare was a lawyer and business partner to Al Capone, the notorious gangster who virtually "owned" Chicago in the 1920s. Easy Eddie was ambitious and corrupt, and he helped Capone with his illegal enterprises and kept him out of prison. Capone paid him very well, and Easy Eddie lived a luxurious life with his family in a mansion on an entire Chicago city block.
However, Easy Eddie had a change of heart when he decided to rectify the wrongs he had done and provide a better example for his beloved son, Butch O'Hare. He testified against Capone and The Mob, which he knew would cost him dearly. Indeed, in 1939, Easy Eddie was gunned down on a Chicago street, and most people credited Capone's people for the hit.
Butch O'Hare went on to become a heroic fighter pilot in World War II and was recognized as a hero. O'Hare International Airport in Chicago was named after him.
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Orchard Field renamed to O'Hare in 1949
The Chicago airport is named after World War II naval aviator Lieutenant Commander Edward "Butch" O'Hare, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1942. O'Hare is credited with saving the aircraft carrier USS Lexington in the South Pacific by shooting down six of nine enemy bombers.
Orchard Field was renamed to O'Hare in 1949 to honour Butch O'Hare. The airport's original name, Orchard Field, came from the fact that the area was known for its orchards when it was first settled in the 1840s by German immigrants. The area had already been named Orchard Place from the time it was a stop on the Wisconsin Central Railroad in the 19th century.
During World War II, the War Production Board purchased a plot of undeveloped Cook County prairie land called Orchard Place. The 1,790 acres of flatland was well-suited for a huge airplane factory, which the government needed for the production of military aircraft, specifically Douglas C-54s. The facility was also the site of the Army Air Force's 803rd Special Depot, which stored many rare or experimental planes, including captured enemy aircraft. During the war, the airport was known as Orchard Place/Douglas Field, hence the airport's identification code ORD, which is still used today.
After the war, in 1945, aircraft production ceased. In 1947, the City of Chicago acquired 1,000 acres of the Douglas plant and land from the federal government at no cost. Shortly after, it was renamed O'Hare Field. O'Hare officially opened to commercial air traffic in 1955 and was formally dedicated on March 23, 1963, by President John F. Kennedy.
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Frequently asked questions
O'Hare International Airport.
Lieutenant Commander Edward Butch O'Hare.
A World War II naval aviator and war hero.
To honour his bravery and heroism during World War II.
On September 17, 1949.
