Richard E. Byrd the South Pole by air. However, his claim to have reached the North Pole is disputed. Byrd was born in Winchester, Virginia, the son of Esther Bolling (Flood) and Richard Evelyn Byrd Sr. He was a descendant of one of the First Families of Virginia. His ancestors include planter John Rolfe and his wife Pocahontas, William Byrd II of Westover Plantation, who established Richmond, and Robert "King" Carter, a colonial governor. He was the brother of Virginia Governor and U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, a dominant figure in the Virginia Democratic Party from the 1920s until the 1960s; their father
Richard Evelyn Byrd III Richard Evelyn Byrd III Richard Evelyn Byrd III (February 19, 1920 – c. October 3, 1988) was a United States naval officer, Antarctic explorer, and the son of Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd. Richard Evelyn Byrd III (usually referred to as Richard E. Byrd, Jr.) was born on February 19, 1920 to famed naval aviator and explorer Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. and his wife, Marie Donaldson Ames. The younger Richard was a graduate of Milton Academy and Harvard College. During World War II he was commissioned an ensign in the Naval Reserve on April 6, 1942 and was promoted to lieutenant