Charles Smith ("C.S.") Hyman, (August 31, 1854 – October 8, 1926) was a Canadian businessman, and notable politician and sportsman. He was a popular tennis player and won a record five Canadian Opens until broken by

Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl (; born March 7, 1960) is a Czech–American former professional tennis player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Lendl was ranked world No. 1 in singles for 270 weeks and won 94 singles titles. ...

with six titles.

Early life and business

Born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

, the son of Ellis Walton Hyman, a tanner and entrepreneur, and Annie Maria Niles, he was educated at Hellmuth Academy in London and then started a shoe factory with his father in 1874. In 1876, he married Elizabeth Birrell, and two years they had Idlewyld mansion built, which is now an inn. Hyman was president of the London Board of Trade from 1881 to 1882. In 1916 he built a summer estate in Port Stanley Ontario on the shore of Lake Erie. He was also a tannery owner.

Politics

Hyman was elected to London city council in 1882 and was mayor in 1884. He first ran as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate against

John Carling Sir John Carling, (January 23, 1828 – November 6, 1911) was a Canadian politician and prominent businessman who was associated with the Carling Brewery in London, Ontario. The Carling family and its descendants later resided in Ottawa, Mo ...

for the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

in the 1887 election for the riding of

and was defeated. Hyman ran again in

1891 Events January–March * January 1 ** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany. ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new Africa ...

and was elected but the election was declared void and he was defeated in the resulting 1892 by-election. After losing again in

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

, he was elected in

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

and was re-elected in

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

. From 1904 to 1905, he was a Minister without Portfolio. From 1905 to 1907, he was the Minister of Public Works. He resigned in 1907.

Sports

Hyman was an early Canadian tennis champion, capturing the national tennis championship (which has since evolved into the current

Rogers Cup The Canadian Open (french: Tournoi de tennis du Canada), also known as the Canada Masters, and currently branded as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tennis tournament held in Ontario and Quebec. T ...

) 5 times in singles – for 1884, and for each year from 1886 through 1889. (Only

surpassed this winning 6 titles from 1980 to 1989.) Hyman also captured two doubles titles, the 1886 final partnering I.F. Hellmuth, and the 1889 final playing alongside

R.S. Wood Raymond Stewart Wood Jr. (born June 25, 1934) is a bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. He served the Diocese of Michigan from 1990 to 2000 as its ninth diocesan bishop. Personal life Wood was born and raised in Det ...

. (No one has ever won a total of seven titles.) Hyman was also an early captain of the

Canada national cricket team The Canada national cricket team represents Canada in international cricket. The team is organised by Cricket Canada, which became an Associate Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1968. With the United States, Canada was one ...

, quite possibly when on its 1887 England Tour. Hyman is said to have introduced the game

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

to Canada.

References

External links

* *
''The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1891'', JA Gemmill
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyman, Charles 19th-century Canadian people (post-Confederation) 19th-century male tennis players 19th-century Canadian politicians Businesspeople from London, Ontario Canadian Anglicans Canadian male tennis players Liberal Party of Canada MPs Mayors of London, Ontario Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Sportspeople from London, Ontario 1854 births 1926 deaths Cricketers from Ontario 19th-century Canadian businesspeople