Watson McLean Washburn (June 13, 1894 – December 2, 1973) 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 in the top 10 in the US seven times between 1914 and 1922. He was also one of the founders of the

International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indo ...

, to which he was inducted in 1965. He also competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics.

Biography

He was born in Manhattan on June 13, 1894. He was primarily a doubles player and teamed with

Richard Norris Williams Richard "Dick" Norris Williams II (January 29, 1891 – June 2, 1968), generally known as R. Norris Williams, was an American tennis player and RMS ''Titanic'' survivor. Biography Williams was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the son of Philadel ...

to take the Davis Cup in 1921. Also with Williams, he reached two US Championship finals and one at Wimbledon. He won the US Intercollegiate Doubles Championship in 1913 and the Indoor Doubles Championship in 1915. In July 1915, Washburn and Williams won the doubles title at the Eastern Tennis Championship in Brookline defeating Irving C. Wright and Wallace F. Johnson in four sets. In 1917, Washburn joined the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought along ...

and served during World War I in France as a captain in the artillery. In 1921, Washburn defeated Richard Norris Williams in the final of the

Newport Casino Invitational The Newport Casino Invitational was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts between 1915 and 1967 at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island. The event was first held in 1915 when the U.S. Open (tennis), U.S. National Champion ...

in five sets. After his tennis career, he became an assistant state prosecutor.

Grand Slam finals

Doubles (3 runners-up)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Washburn, Watson American male tennis players Sportspeople from Manhattan Tennis players from New York City 1894 births 1973 deaths International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Olympic tennis players for the United States Tennis players at the 1924 Summer Olympics Harvard Crimson men's tennis players Columbia Law School alumni