William Thacher (1866–1953) 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. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut. Thacher was a champion at

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

and semi finalist in the 1886 National Intercollegiate singles. Thacher was very well travelled and played several sports recreationally. Thacher also took an active part in his local church. While headmaster at the Thacher school (started by his brother) in

Ojai, California Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...

, William built new tennis courts at the school and helped the game to thrive. On his sole appearance in the U. S. Championships in 1887, Thacher beat

Godfrey Brinley Godfrey Malbone Brinley (November 22, 1864 – May 6, 1939) was a tennis player from the United States, born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He was a boy when tennis was first introduced to New Jersey and he took to the game quickly. At St. Paul’s ...

before losing to Howard Taylor in the semifinals.

References

1866 births 1953 deaths 19th-century male tennis players American male tennis players Tennis people from Connecticut {{US-tennis-bio-stub