William 'Bill' Jackson Clothier (September 27, 1881 – September 4, 1962) was an American

tennis player 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 cove ...

Biography

William J. Clothier was a top American tennis player in the early 1900s and reached the singles final of the United States Championships three times. In his first final appearance in 1904 he lost in three straight sets to compatriot

Holcombe Ward Holcombe Ward (November 23, 1878 – January 23, 1967) was an American tennis player who was active during the last years of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th. He won the U.S. National Championships singles title in 1904 and add ...

. Two years later, in 1906, Clothier achieved his greatest success by emphatically beating

Beals Wright Beals Coleman Wright (December 19, 1879 – August 23, 1961) was an American tennis player who was active at the end of the 1890s and early 1900s. He won the singles title at the 1905 U.S. National Championships. Wright was a two-time Olympic g ...

in the final in three straight sets at the

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. This despite breaking his pelvic bone in a riding accident earlier that year. His last appearance in the final came in 1909 when he lost in five sets to

William Larned William Augustus Larned (December 30, 1872 – December 16, 1926) was an American tennis player who was active at the beginning of the 20th century. He won seven singles titles at the U.S. National Championships. Biography Larned was born ...

who claimed his fifth singles title. Clothier won the intercollegiate tennis singles and doubles championship in 1902 playing for Harvard, where he was a three sport athlete and also played hockey and football. He was a member of the winning USA

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...

Team in 1905 and 1909 and won both his singles matches in the 1909 final against the

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. Together with his son, William J. Clothier II, they two won the national father-son title held at Longwood Cricket Club twice in 1935 and 1936. Clothier was inducted into 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 ...

in 1956 and was elected its first President in 1954, a position he held until 1957. Clothier also played amateur

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from 1900 to 1904 with the

Quaker City Hockey Club The Quaker City Hockey Club was an amateur ice hockey team from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History Formed in 1897, the Quaker City Hockey Club was a member of the American Amateur Hockey League during the 1900–1901 season, playing its home ga ...

in Philadelphia and the

Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at ...

intercollegiate team in

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Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Clothier is interred in the family plot at

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is 200 acres in size and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in neighboring Ph ...

, Summit Section, in

Bala Cynwyd Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route 1 (City Avenue). It was originally two separ ...

, Pennsylvania.

Playing style

In their book ''R.F. and H.L. Doherty - On Lawn Tennis (1903)'' multiple Wimbledon champions Reginald and Lawrence Doherty described Clothier's playing style: ''On Lawn Tennis'' - 1903

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 title, 2 runners-up)

Mixed doubles: (1 runner-up)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clothier, William 1881 births 1962 deaths People from Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania American male tennis players Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery Tennis players from Philadelphia International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees United States National champions (tennis) Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles Harvard Crimson men's tennis players