on July 31, 1962, Otho Edward McCrackin received U.S. Patent No. D193317 on a Guided Missile:

Don’t worry – it was only a design patent, they did not disclose how the missile worked.

Otho was born on September 14, 1914, in Overland, St. Louis County, Missouri. He served in World War II, attaining the rank of commander. He filed this patent application on May 4, 1949, but tragically died in a plane crash on July 7, 1952, at just 37 years old while traveling to Kirtland Air Force Base. He was survived by his wife, Mabel, and their two daughters. Although he did not live to see it, his patent was not issued until more than 13 years after it was filed, likely because of security-related delays.