Edward Ellis Farnsworth (July 30, 1880 – December 19, 1937) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player, an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and a member of the Maine State Highway Commission. He was thrice selected as an All-American (1900, 1902, 1903) and is the only individual to have played in five Army–Navy Games. He was, additionally, an author and Theosophist.

Football player

Edward Farnsworth was born in

Charlestown, New Hampshire Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2020 census, down from 5,114 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Hubbard State Forest and the headquarters of the Student Conservation A ...

on July 30, 1880. He graduated from

Classical High School Classical High School, founded in 1843, is a public magnet school in the Providence School District, in Providence, Rhode Island. It was originally an all-male school but has since become co-ed. Classical's motto is ''Certare, Petere, Reperire, ...

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...

. He subsequently attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

where he played at the halfback, tackle and

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

positions for the

Army Black Knights football The Army Black Knights football team, previously known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. Army is a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the NCAA. The Black Knights play home ...

team from 1899 to 1903. He was selected by

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage and the system ...

as a third-team tackle on his 1900 College Football All-America Team. He was also selected by

Caspar Whitney Caspar William Whitney (September 2, 1864 – January 18, 1929) was an American author, editor, explorer, outdoorsman and war correspondent. He originated the concept of the All-American team in college football in 1889 when he worked for '' Harp ...

as a second-team All-American at the guard position in 1902 and at the halfback position in 1903. He is also the only individual to have played in five Army–Navy Games, having played in each game from 1899 to 1903.

Military and civil service

After graduating from the Military Academy in 1904, Farnsworth served in the

until 1929, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. He received a temporary promotion to colonel during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was advanced to colonel on the retired list in 1930. Farnsworth graduated from the

Command and General Staff School The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1923 and the Army War College in 1926. He was assigned to the Eighth Coast Artillery at

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

from 1923 to 1929. After retiring from the Army, he was appointed by Maine Governor William Tudor Gardiner as a member of the Maine State Highway Commission, a position he held for eight years.

Dates of rank

*Cadet, USMA – June 13, 1899 *2nd Lieutenant, Regular Army – June 15, 1904 *1st Lieutenant, Regular Army – January 25, 1907 *Captain, Regular Army – July 25, 1914 *Major, Regular Army (temporary) – August 5, 1917 *Lieutenant Colonel, National Army – June 21, 1918 *Colonel, National Army – October 3, 1918 *Major, Regular Army – July 1, 1920 *Lieutenant Colonel, Regular Army – August 7, 1928 *Lieutenant Colonel, Retired List – October 1, 1929 *Colonel, Retired List – June 21, 1930

Author

Farnsworth wrote a number of books through the 1910s and 20s, on subjects ranging from poetry and history to the occult, creating a three part series of Theosophical and new age lore involving subjects from

Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (, ; born Emanuel Swedberg; 29 March 1772) was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ''Heaven and Hell'' (1758). Swedenborg had a ...

to Atlantis.

Family

Farnsworth was married in 1907 to Mary Pullman. Their two sons, Edward Ellis Farnsworth, Jr., and John Pullman Farnsworth, both attended and graduated from the United States Military Academy. Farnsworth died from a heart attack on December 19, 1937, at age 57 in his home in

South Portland, Maine South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state, incorporated in 1898. At the 2020 census, the city population was 26,498. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is sit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnsworth, Edward 1880 births 1937 deaths People from Charlestown, New Hampshire Players of American football from New Hampshire Sportspeople from Lynn, Massachusetts Players of American football from Essex County, Massachusetts Army Black Knights football players American football guards American football tackles American football halfbacks United States Army colonels Military personnel from New Hampshire United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Sportspeople from South Portland, Maine Burials at West Point Cemetery