John shippen biography
- (December 2, 1879 – May 20, 1968) was an American golfer who competed in several of the early U.S. Opens.
- John Matthew Shippen, Jr. (1879-1968) was born on December 5, 1879.
- John Matthew Shippen Jr. was an American golfer who competed in several of the early U.S. Opens.
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Shinnecock Hills was selected to host the second U.S. Open in 1896. Club members (said to include the Rothchilds, the Mellons and the Carnegies) were so impressed with Shippen’s talent that they paid his and Bunn’s entry fees for the tournament. The week of the Open, other professional entrants (all foreign-born) sent a petition to USGA officials in which they objected to “colored boys meeting them on equal terms.” They held a meeting in protest on Thursday prior to the Open and threatened to withdraw if Shippen and Bunn were allowed to compete. USGA president Theodore Havemeyer is said to have declared, with conviction: “Gentlemen, you can leave or stay as you please. We are going to play this tournament tomorrow, with them – and with or without you.”
All entrants showed up the next morning for play. After the first 18-hole round, Shippen was tied for the lead, having shot a 78 in the first round. In the second round, his tee shot on the par-4 13th hole landed in a sandy road, which led to an 11 on the hole. He finished the second round with an 81 for an overall score of 159 for
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John Shippen
American professional golfer
John Matthew Shippen Jr. (December 2, 1879 – May 20, 1968) was an American golfer 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 minister, John Shippen Sr. and Eliza Spotswood Shippen,[2] and is believed to be the first American-born golf professional.[3]
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.[3] 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 in Garden City, New York, where he tied for fifth place at both.[2]
Early life
When he was nine his father was sent to serve as minister on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation—close to Shinnecock Hills—one of America's earliest golf
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When John Matthew Shippen Jr. was born on 2 December 1879, in Washington, District of Columbia, United States, his father, John M Shippen Sr., was 30 and his mother, Eliza A Spotswood, was 25. He married Effie Walker on 8 January 1899, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. He lived in Suffolk, New York, United States in 1920 and Scotch Plains Township, Union, New Jersey, United States in 1942. He died on 20 May 1968, in Newark Township, Essex, New Jersey, United States, at the age of 88, and was buried in Rosehill Cemetery and Crematory, Union, New Jersey, United States.
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