George Wood Wingate (July 1, 1840 – March 22, 1928) was an American lawyer and organizer of

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

practice. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

he served in a New York regiment, and later supervised the construction of elevated railways in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. In 1867 Wingate drew up rules for systematic rifle practice by Company A, 22d regiment,

New York National Guard The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutant General of New ...

, of which he was then captain. The publication of these rules (the first of the kind to be formulated in the United States) led to the organization (in 1871) of the

National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while cont ...

, of which he was first secretary and later president from 1886 to 1900. Besides special articles on military subjects he published: *''Manual for Rifle Practice'' (1872; seventh edition, 1880) *''The Great

Cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

Riots'' (1880) *''Through the

Yellowstone Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...

on Horseback'' (1886) *''History of the 22d Regiment, N. G. N. Y.'' (1896)

Foundation

The

Public Schools Athletic League The Public Schools Athletic League, known by the abbreviation PSAL, is an organization that promotes student athletics in the public schools of New York City. It was founded in 1903 to provide and maintain a sports program for students enrolled in ...

, commonly referred to as the

PSAL The Public Schools Athletic League, known by the abbreviation PSAL, is an organization that promotes student athletics in the public schools of New York City. It was founded in 1903 to provide and maintain a sports program for students enrolled in ...

, was first formed in 1903 as an organization supported by money provided by the private sector under a group of people called the PSAL Wingate Fund. General George W. Wingate was its first presidents and leader. He would go on to serve for over 25 years. Today, the PSAL is funded by the New York City Board of Education. However, as recently as 2003, The PSAL Wingate Fund continued its traditions of honoring former and present

athletes.wilburcoach0.tripod.com/psalhalloffame.html

Honors

George W. Wingate High School George W. Wingate High School is a defunct comprehensive high school in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Wingate neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York City. It opened in 1956 and was closed down in June 2006 due to poor academic performance. Th ...

, a public high school in the Crown Heights neighborhood of

, New York, now closed, was named for Wingate. The campus is now home to several schools in the New York City Public School system. The campus's sports teams are known as the 'Generals', for Wingate's rank in the

. The General GW Wingate Athletic Field in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn is named for him. The naming was in recognition of Wingate's role in founding, and long service as the first President of the

References

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* * * 1840 births 1928 deaths Union Army soldiers American military writers New York (state) lawyers Lawyers from New York City United States Army officers Presidents of the National Rifle Association Activists from New York City Military personnel from New York City 19th-century American lawyers {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub