Nation's first secretary of transportation has died

Alan S. Boyd served in the 1960s

Boyd, left, served under President Lyndon Johnson. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Transportation)

Alan S. Boyd, the first person to serve as U.S. Transportation Secretary, died on Sunday at age 98, Eno Center for Transportation reported today.

Boyd served as cabinet secretary from 1967-1969 in the administration of President Lyndon Johnson. According to Eno, he was a Florida native and the great-grandson of another transportation icon, John G. Stephenson, who invented the streetcar.

Boyd was linked to another form of transportation during World War II when he flew a C-47 for the Army Air Corps and dropped paratroopers in the D-Day invasion, according to the report. He received a law degree from the University of Virginia before moving into the transportation arena.

His experience also included work with roads and railroads. The U.S. DOT offers a history of the founding of the department.