Julian Southall Myrick (March 1, 1880 – January 4, 1969) was an

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

salesman and promoter of

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 ...

from the United States. Myrick was born in

Murfreesboro, North Carolina Murfreesboro is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,835 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Chowan University. Geography Murfreesboro is located in northwestern Hertford County at (36.440983, -77.0 ...

on March 1, 1880. In 1898, Myrick entered the insurance business as an application clerk at the Mutual Insurance Company. In 1906, Myrick partnered with his colleague

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed f ...

to start their own company, Ives and Myrick. Myrick is known for his contributions to insurance industry. In 1910, he was involved in founding the first training college for insurance agents. Myrick also helped set up American College of Life Underwriters (now known as The American College) in 1927. Myrick was also significantly involved in the promotion of tennis in United States. He was the president

West Side Tennis Club The West Side Tennis Club is a private tennis club located in Forest Hills, Queens, Forest Hills, a neighborhood in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. The club has 38 tennis courts in all four surfaces (clay court, H ...

in Forest Hills from 1915 to 1917. He was considered instrumental to the increase in the club's prominence, including its being chosen as the venue of US National Championships (now known as U.S. Open). He was also influential in construction of Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, Queens which hosted the first

Wightman Cup The Wightman Cup was an annual team tennis competition for women contested from 1923 through 1989 (except during World War II) between teams from the United States and Great Britain. History U.S. player Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wanted to generate ...

competition. Myrick also served as the president of United States Lawn Tennis Association, (now known as

United States Tennis Association The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...

) from 1920-1922. Myrick promoted induction of tennis in schools and colleges as a major sport and acceptance of the sport on a wider level. Myrick was first to deliver a speech on tennis by radio in 1922. He was inducted in 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 1969 for his contribution to the sport in the United States and his administrative abilities. Myrick was a lifelong

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and a strong supporter

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

's candidacy for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. He was a Republican

delegate Delegate or delegates may refer to: * Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique * Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations * Delegate (United ...

New York's 17th congressional district New York's 17th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in Southern New York. It includes all of Rockland County and portions of central and northwestern Westchester County, incl ...

. However, during the presidential election in 1920, Myrick supported Democratic candidate

James M. Cox James Middleton Cox (March 31, 1870 July 15, 1957) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th and 48th governor of Ohio, and a two-term U.S. Representative from Ohio. As the Democratic nominee for President of the United St ...

for his stand on

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

. Myrick helped in gathering public support for the recommendations of the

Hoover Commission The Hoover Commission, officially named the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, was a body appointed by President Harry S. Truman in 1947 to recommend administrative changes in the Federal Government of the Unite ...

References

External links

International Tennis Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myrick, Julian 1880 births 1969 deaths People from Murfreesboro, North Carolina New York (state) Republicans Businesspeople from New York City International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees The American College of Financial Services 20th-century American businesspeople