Otis Guernsey (June 16, 1893 – March 4, 1975) was an American businessman and college football player who was the president of Abercrombie & Fitch and a fullback for the

Yale Bulldogs football The Yale Bulldogs football program represents Yale University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Yale's football program is one of the oldest in the world, having begun competi ...

team.

Early life

Guernsey was born on June 16, 1893, in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

to Nathaniel T. Guernsey and Martha (Love) Guernsey. Nathaniel T. Guernsey was a vice president and general counsel for the

American Telephone and Telegraph Company AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...

. Guernsey's younger brother, Nathaniel T. Guernsey Jr., also played football at Yale and set the record for the men's 60-foot plunge in 1923 as a member of the school's swim team.

Athletics

Football

Guernsey originally replaced Dave Dunn at Yale, who was injured. Guernsey was called the "star halfback" of Yale football's 1913, 1914 and 1915 teams also was their field goal kicker. Guernsey set a Yale record for the longest field goal kicked at 53 years during an October 13, 1915 game against Princeton. Guernsey was called the "hero" of the 1915 Yale-Princeton game, kicking two field goals from the 55-yard line and the 42-yard mark which helped Yale win 13–7. Guernsey missed time during the 1915 season due to sickness and later dislocated his shoulder during a November 20, 1915 game against Harvard. Guernsey was often compared to and called a rival of Harvard's

Charles Brickley Charles Edward Brickley (November 24, 1891 – December 28, 1949) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the Johns Hopkins University in 1915, at Boston College from 1916 to 1917, and at Fordham Univer ...

, who also served as the team's kicker.

Squash

Guernsey took up squash after he graduated from Yale, competing in the Squash National Class B Championship. Guernsey later competed in the National Squash Tennis Association's 1922 Fall Squash Tournament, losing to Charles M. Bull Jr. Guernsey then later helped the Yale Squash Team win the Champions Class League in 1922–23.

Military service

Guernsey was a major in the 315th Field Artillery 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 ...

. He was also a member of the

New York Guard The New York Guard (NYG) is the state defense force of New York State, also called The New York State Military Reserve. Originally called the New York State Militia it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and the War of 1812. T ...

and held the rank of brigadier general during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Business career

Guernsey worked for the General Chemical Company from 1919 to 1922 and the

J. L. Mott Iron Works The J. L. Mott Iron Works was an American hardware dealer and manufacturer during the late 19th century. It operated in New York and was relocated to Trenton, New Jersey, where it ceased operations in the 1920s. History The J. L. Mott Iron Work ...

from 1922 to 1924. He then joined Abercrombie & Fitch, where he was promoted to assistant vice president in 1927. In 1928, Ezra Fitch sold his stake in the company to his brother-in-law, James S. Cobb. Cobb became the company's new president and Guernsey succeeded him as vice president. During the Great Depression, Guernsey negotiated with the firm's creditors, which helped save the company from collapse. Guernsey was president of Abercrombie & Fitch from 1940 until 1961, when he was elected to the new position of chairman.

Personal life

Guernsey married Margaret C. Henderson in 1916. They had three sons, one of whom, Otis Guernsey Jr. (1918–2001), became a well-known writer. The Guernseys divorced and she married Yale professor Lemist Esler in 1956. Guernsey died on March 4, 1975, at his home in

Edgartown, Massachusetts Edgartown is a tourist destination on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States, for which it is the county seat. It was once a major whaling port, with historic houses that have been carefully preserved. To ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guernsey, Otis 1893 births 1975 deaths Abercrombie & Fitch American male squash players American retail chief executives Businesspeople from Des Moines, Iowa Players of American football from Des Moines, Iowa People from Edgartown, Massachusetts Yale Bulldogs football players Yale University alumni United States Army personnel of World War I