Lieutenant (later Colonel) William Dolley Tipton (sometimes erroneously referred to as William Duncan Tipton) began his military career as a World War I Sopwith Camel pilot. The U.S. Air Force officially credits him with four aerial victories during the war, although other sources claim he had five, and thus was a flying ace. He was one of the founding officers of what would become the Maryland Air National Guard. As a member of the Maryland National Guard, he was mobilized during World War II. He rose to the rank of colonel during the war. He died on December 12, 1945 in an aircraft accident. Tipton Airport (formerly Tipton Army Airfield) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, is named in his honor.