Mary Ann "Mianne" Palfrey (March 6, 1911 – November 2, 1993) was an American

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player who was active in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Mianne was the daughter of John Palfrey, a lawyer, and Methyl Oakes. She was part of a quintet of tennis playing sisters, together with

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

, Lee, Polly and Joanne. Palfrey won the girls' national indoor singles title in 1929, defeating her sister Sarah in the final. In addition she won the girls' indoor doubles titles, partnering Sarah, in 1927, 1928 and 1929. In February 1930, she won the singles title at the U.S. Indoor Championships, held at the Longwood Covered Courts in Chestnut Hill, defeating the 1924 and 1925 champion

Marion Zinderstein Jessup Marion Hall Zinderstein (May 6, 1896 – August 14, 1980) also known by her married name Marion Jessup, was a tennis player from the United States. At the 1924 Paris Olympics, she won a silver medal in the mixed doubles event partnering Vincent ...

in the final in straight sets. On August 27, 1932, she married Arthur Dehon Hill in Sharon, Massachusetts but they divorced several years later. They had one daughter. She married Franklin Dexter on August 5, 1939, in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

. On return from their honeymoon in Scotland at the outset of World War II their ship, the

passenger liner A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...

, was torpedoed by the German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

and sank but the couple survived. With Franklin, she bore four children. Franklin Dexter died in July 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palfrey, Mianne 1911 births 1993 deaths American female tennis players