Michael Paine (engineer)
Encyclopedia
Michael R. Paine is a retired engineer who worked for Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas
in 1963. He became notable after the assassination of John F. Kennedy
because of his and his wife's acquaintance with alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
.
, an architect and activist. His mother was Ruth Forbes Paine Young, financial backer of International Peace Academy and daughter of Elise Cabot Forbes. He had one sibling: Cameron Paine.
Paine graduated from high school in New York in 1947. He attended Harvard University
for two years and Swarthmore College
for a year, but did not graduate.
for about a year. He then worked for his mother's second husband Arthur M. Young
, making helicopter models in Pennsylvania.
In 1958, Paine became employed at Bell Helicopter through Young, his stepfather and designer of the first commercial helicopter, Bell 47
.
in Pennsylvania. They had two children: Lynn (b. 1959) and Christopher (b. 1961). In 1959, they relocated to Irving, Texas
when Paine began work at a Bell Helicopter facility in Fort Worth.
In February 1963, Paine's wife was introduced to Marina Oswald
and her husband, Lee Harvey Oswald
by a family friend from the singing group, Everett Glover, at a party Paine didn't attend because of a cold. Paine met the Oswalds for the first time in April when his wife invited them over for dinner. In late September 1963, when Paine and his wife were separated, and he had his own apartment in Grand Prairie, Texas
, and would visit the family home on weekends, Marina and her daughter went to live with Paine's wife. Lee Harvey Oswald rented a room in Dallas but stored some of his possessions in Paine’s garage, including a supposed rifle wrapped in a blanket which Paine thought to be camping equipment. Paine's wife helped Oswald get a job at the Texas School Book Depository
. Paine's testimony would later become a central feature of the Warren Commission
's investigation of the assassination, particularly in regard to the presence of the purported assassination rifle
in the garage of his family home.
Paine and his wife were portrayed in Oliver Stone
's JFK
as characters called "Bill and Janet Williams," presumably to avoid legal action.
He is a member of the American Civil Liberties Union
.
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
in 1963. He became notable after the assassination of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
because of his and his wife's acquaintance with alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
.
Early life
Paine was born in New York, New York. His father was Lyman PaineLyman Paine
George Lyman Paine, Jr. , known as Lyman Paine, was an architect and radical left activist. He is known for his work with the Correspondence Publishing Committee with his wife Freddy Paine, and was closely associated with Grace Lee Boggs.Paine was born in New York City in 1901. His father George...
, an architect and activist. His mother was Ruth Forbes Paine Young, financial backer of International Peace Academy and daughter of Elise Cabot Forbes. He had one sibling: Cameron Paine.
Paine graduated from high school in New York in 1947. He attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
for two years and Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
for a year, but did not graduate.
Career
After working in the U.S. Army, Paine worked a few months for Griswold Manufacturing Co. After that, Paine worked at Bartol Research Foundation in Swarthmore, PennsylvaniaSwarthmore, Pennsylvania
Swarthmore is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Swarthmore was originally named Westdale in honor of noted painter Benjamin West, who was one of the early residents of the town. The name was changed to Swarthmore after the establishment of Swarthmore College...
for about a year. He then worked for his mother's second husband Arthur M. Young
Arthur M. Young
Arthur Middleton Young was an American inventor, helicopter pioneer, cosmologist, philosopher, astrologer and author. Young was the designer of Bell Helicopter's first helicopter, the Model 30, and inventor of the stabilizer bar used on many of Bell's early helicopter designs...
, making helicopter models in Pennsylvania.
In 1958, Paine became employed at Bell Helicopter through Young, his stepfather and designer of the first commercial helicopter, Bell 47
Bell 47
The Bell 47 is a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. Based on the third Model 30 prototype, Bell's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young, the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946...
.
Personal life
In 1957, he married Ruth Avery HydeRuth Paine
Ruth Hyde Paine was a friend of Marina Oswald who was living with her at the time of the JFK assassination. Lee Harvey Oswald stored the 6.5 mm caliber Carcano rifle he allegedly used to assassinate US President John F. Kennedy in her garage, unbeknownst to her and her husband, Michael Paine.-...
in Pennsylvania. They had two children: Lynn (b. 1959) and Christopher (b. 1961). In 1959, they relocated to Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
when Paine began work at a Bell Helicopter facility in Fort Worth.
In February 1963, Paine's wife was introduced to Marina Oswald
Marina Oswald Porter
Marina Oswald Porter, is the widow of Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.-Life with Oswald:...
and her husband, Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
by a family friend from the singing group, Everett Glover, at a party Paine didn't attend because of a cold. Paine met the Oswalds for the first time in April when his wife invited them over for dinner. In late September 1963, when Paine and his wife were separated, and he had his own apartment in Grand Prairie, Texas
Grand Prairie, Texas
Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Ellis, and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas and is a part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Grand Prairie is a suburb of both Dallas and Fort Worth and had a population of 175,396 at the 2010 census.- History :The city of...
, and would visit the family home on weekends, Marina and her daughter went to live with Paine's wife. Lee Harvey Oswald rented a room in Dallas but stored some of his possessions in Paine’s garage, including a supposed rifle wrapped in a blanket which Paine thought to be camping equipment. Paine's wife helped Oswald get a job at the Texas School Book Depository
Texas School Book Depository
The Texas School Book Depository is the former name of a seven-floor building facing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas . Located on the northwest corner of Elm and North Houston Streets, at the western end of downtown Dallas, its address is 411 Elm Street. The building is notable for its connection to...
. Paine's testimony would later become a central feature of the Warren Commission
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
's investigation of the assassination, particularly in regard to the presence of the purported assassination rifle
John F. Kennedy assassination rifle
In March 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald, using the alias "A. Hidell", purchased a 6.5 mm Carcano Model 91/38 rifle by mail order. He also purchased a revolver from a different company, by the same method...
in the garage of his family home.
Paine and his wife were portrayed in Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's JFK
JFK (film)
JFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison .Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay...
as characters called "Bill and Janet Williams," presumably to avoid legal action.
He is a member of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
.