William Buckingham "Father Bill" Curtis (January 17, 1837 – June 30, 1900) was one of the most important proponents of organized athletics in the late 1800s in America. Curtis had a remarkable career as a competitor, official, sports editor, organizer, and administrator. He was known as "Father Bill" in the athletic world. The death of Curtis at the age of 63 while climbing

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, ...

brought forth an outpouring of testimonials from the sports world and recognition as a "father of American amateur athletics".

Early life

Curtis was born in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

and was a sickly child, having contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

at about 10 years old. In 1850, his family moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and he soon enrolled in

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cur ...

where he quickly became a leader in many sports. After a couple of years, he changed enrollments to Bell's Commercial College but continued to focus on athletics. When 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 ...

started, Curtis joined the Illinois Volunteers and served until the war was over.

Career

Curtis actively competed from the age of 17 to 43 and included championships in

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

, weightlifting, and sprinting. In 1853, in his first public competition, he won nine events in the games of the Chicago Caledonian Club at the age of 17. In 1860, Curtis and his friend

John C. Babcock John C. Babcock (September 6, 1836 – November 20, 1908) was an amateur rower, a member of the secret service for the Union Army during the Civil War, and a founder of the New York Athletic Club. Early life Babcock was born in Warwick, Rhode ...

managed Hubert Ottignon's Metropolitan Gymnasium in Chicago. From 1853 to 1872, Curtis did not lose a race in the

100-yard dash 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

until he eventually lost to Harry Buermeyer. Curtis was also a three-time national champion in the

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consis ...

. Curtis and Buermeyer were considered the strongest men of their time. Curtis successfully lifted over in a "back" lift. Curtis helped create several amateur clubs around the country. He founded the

New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Travers ...

(N.Y.A.C.) with Buermeyer and Babcock in 1868, and he was the first president of the club. In 1872, he opened the Chicago Athletic Club. Around 1880, Curtis founded the Fresh Air Club to encourage members in New York City to have outdoor exercise in rural areas. Curtis helped found the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

in 1888, which eventually became the

U.S. Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...

. After retiring from athletics, Curtis became the managing editor of New York City's sports newspaper, the ''

Spirit of the Times The ''Spirit of the Times: A Chronicle of the Turf, Agriculture, Field Sports, Literature and the Stage'' was an American weekly newspaper published in New York City. The paper aimed for an upper-class readership made up largely of sportsmen. ...

''. He died on June 30, 1900, during an

ice storm An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on ex ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York City.

Legacy

His referee services were in high demand by the Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Throughout his life Curtis strove to purify sports of fraud and corruption. W. B. Curtis was a devotee of

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors racing, race each other in travelling a certain distance on Ice skate, skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marath ...

. In the ''Spirit of The Times'', he covered developments in local and international speed-skating and compiled lists of skating records. He was selected as first president of the National Amateur Skating Association in 1884. Curtis was also an enthusiastic recreational skater and led skating tours on lakes and rivers with the Fresh Air Club. He would scout out the route by skating it himself beforehand and write reports in ''The Spirit of the Times'', under the name "The Pathfinder". Curtis was also a regular contributor to the outdoor sports magazine, ''Outing''. He was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1979.William Curtis. USA Track and Field Hall of Fame.
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References

External links

USA Track and Field Hall of Fame

The New York Athletic Club (official website)

Amateur Athletic Union (official website)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, William Buckingham 1837 births 1900 deaths Deaths from hypothermia Mountaineering deaths American male sprinters American newspaper editors Presidents of the New York Athletic Club 19th-century American journalists American male journalists Sports deaths in New Hampshire Presidents of the Amateur Athletic Union 19th-century American male writers Writers from Vermont