Hessie Donahue (1874–1961) was an American matron and stunt boxer, the first person to knock out

John L. Sullivan John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15, 1858 – February 2, 1918), known simply as John L. among his admirers, and dubbed the "Boston Strong Boy" by the press, was an American boxer recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing ...

. She married Charles Converse, owner of a boxing school in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

. In 1892, Converse was invited to join Sullivan in an exhibition tour of theatres. Donahue went along and was asked to spar with Sullivan in a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

act. The idea was that when the champion had dealt with all comers, he would announce that he had been challenged by a woman. With the crowd buzzing, Donahue would step into the ring, wearing a blouse,

bloomers Bloomers, also called the bloomer, the Turkish dress, the American dress, or simply reform dress, are divided women's garments for the lower body. They were developed in the 19th century as a healthful and comfortable alternative to the heavy, ...

and boxing gloves. She would then spar with Sullivan until the curtain came down. But one night in Arkansas, this act got out of hand. Sullivan accidentally punched Donahue in the face and she countered with a full right to his jaw that dropped him unconscious to the floor for a full minute. The crowd loved it and the punch was kept as part of the act.

Personal life

Donahue was married and widowed four times. She died in 1961.

References

External links

* 1874 births 1961 deaths American women boxers Vaudeville performers {{US-boxing-bio-stub