It's the Schroeder-Wentworth 1929 Monoplane entry to the 1929 Guggenheim Safe Aircraft Competition, and the distinguished gentleman is
Rudolph William Schroeder.
The competition rules encouraged STOL development - the reason for the wing on the Schroeder with hugely variable camber and incidence. The very low cockpit seems like a pretty wishful safety feature. Hidden behind the wing is a conventional tail with large control surfaces.
Beautiful footage from the competition. Schroeder-Wentworth at ~11:15
An ID article with some good photos. Page 25 - originally with centerline gear and skids, which is why the wheels and gear look a bit wrong. Reportedly the plane only flew once, was damaged before the competition and did not participate in the flight trials.
