John Matthew Shippen Jr. (December 2, 1879 – May 20, 1968) was an American

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

er who competed in several of the early U.S. Opens. Born in Washington D.C., he was the son of a former slave and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

minister, John Shippen Sr. and Eliza Spotswood Shippen, and is believed to be the first American-born golf professional. Shippen, was of African American and Native American descent. At the age of 16, Shippen earned an assistant professional post at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club where he began giving lessons to some of the club members and became an accomplished player in his own right. Shippen's best finishes came at the 1896 U.S. Open held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, and the 1902 U.S. Open held at

Garden City Golf Club The Garden City Golf Club is a private golf course in Garden City, New York. The club was founded in 1899, and is also known as the "Garden City Men's Club" or simply the "Men's Club" to distinguish it from the Garden City Country Club, and Cher ...

in Garden City, New York, where he tied for fifth place at both.

Early life

When he was nine his father was sent to serve as minister on the

Shinnecock Indian Reservation Shinnecock Reservation is a Native American reservation for members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in the town of Southampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is the furthermost east of the two Native American reservations in Suffo ...

—close to Shinnecock Hills—one of America's earliest golf clubs. John Jr. worked as a caddie at the course and was taught to play by the club's Scottish professional, Willie Dunn Jr.

1896 U.S. Open

The Shinnecock Hills course was chosen to host the second U.S. Open in 1896. Shippen played superb golf, finishing in fifth place. Prior to the start of the tournament, some club members had been so impressed with Shippen's talent for the game that they decided to pay his entry fee for the tournament, along with that of his close friend, Oscar Bunn, a Shinnecock Indian. When the professional entrants for the competition found out a racial controversy had begun, they threatened to boycott the event, but they backed down after USGA president

Theodore Havemeyer Theodore Augustus Havemeyer (May 17, 1839 – April 26, 1897) was an American businessman who was the first president of the U.S. Golf Association and co-founder of the Newport Country Club, host to both the first U.S. Amateur and the first U.S. ...

stated that the tournament would proceed even if only Shippen and Dunn took part. Shippen was paired with

Charles B. Macdonald Charles Blair Macdonald (November 14, 1855 – April 21, 1939) was a major figure in early American golf. He built the first 18-hole course in the United States, was a driving force in the founding of the United States Golf Association, won the f ...

, winner of the first U.S. Amateur in 1895. He was tied for second place after the first of the two rounds, and remained in contention until he drove his ball onto a sandy road at the 13th hole and scored an eleven. If he had made par on that hole, he would have made a playoff for the championship, but he still finished in a tie for fifth and won $10 as the fourth-placed non-amateur. Scottish-born James Foulis won the $150 first prize.

Golf career

Shippen played in five more U.S. Opens, and his best finish was a tie for fifth in 1902. He made his career in golf and served as professional at several clubs, the last of which was Shady Rest Golf and Country Club in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, where he worked from 1932 until the club was acceded to the township of Scotch Plains in 1964. As a professional, Shippen made and sold his own clubs which bore a stamp reading "J. M. Shippen". No other African-American played in the Open until

Ted Rhodes Theodore Rhodes (November 9, 1913 – July 4, 1969) was an American professional golfer who helped to break the color barrier in the sport. Rhodes was born in Nashville, Tennessee and attended the city's public schools. He learned the game of g ...

took part in 1948.

Posthumous PGA of America membership

In 2009, the PGA of America granted posthumous membership to Shippen, Rhodes, and

Bill Spiller Bill Spiller (October 25, 1913 – 1988) was an American professional golfer who helped to break the color barrier in his sport. Biography Spiller was born in Tishomingo, Oklahoma and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma as a nine-year-old to live with hi ...

who were denied the opportunity to become PGA members during their professional careers. The PGA also granted posthumous honorary membership to boxer

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He re ...

Legacy and death

He died on May 20, 1968 at a nursing home in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

. He is buried at the Rosedale Cemetery in

Linden, New Jersey Linden is a city in southeastern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area, located about southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a borough of New York City, across the Arthur Kill ...

. When the U.S. Open was played at Shinnecock Hills in 1986, Shippen was remembered during the ABC television broadcast. For many members of the former Shady Rest club, it was the first time they had learned of his accomplishments. The John Shippen Museum is located in the clubhouse of the Shady Rest Golf and Country Club in Scotch Plains. The John Shippen National Invitational Golf Tournament for Black Golfers was established by Intersport in 2021.

Results in major championships

''Note: Shippen played only in the U.S. Open Championship.'' "T" indicates a tie for a place
? = Unknown
Yellow background for top-10

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shippen, John American male golfers African-American golfers Golfers from Washington, D.C. Golfers from New York (state) Golfers from New Jersey People from Scotch Plains, New Jersey 1879 births 1968 deaths 20th-century African-American sportspeople