Charles X. Zimmerman (January 18, 1865 – November 14, 1926) was an American brigadier general during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, businessman and politician. He was also the vice president of the first American Football League, as well as the owner of the league's

Cleveland Panthers The Cleveland Panthers were a professional American football team. They were an independent team founded in 1919 from the remains of the Youngstown Patricians. The Panthers played, with various degrees of success, continuously from 1919 and even ...

Biography

Military career

On May 8, 1884, Zimmerman enlisted in the Fifth Ohio Infantry. He commanded Company F, Fifth Ohio Infantry during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. He served in the Ohio National Guard and was promoted to brigadier general (NA) on August 5, 1917. Zimmerman was commanding general of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, part of the 37th Infantry Division; he was discharged on February 5, 1919. He served at Camp Sheridan, Alabama,

Camp Lee Fort Lee (formerly Fort Gregg-Adams), in Prince George County, Virginia is a United States Army post and headquarters of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM)/ Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCoE), the U.S. Army Quart ...

, and Camp Beauregarde, Louisiana. During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, he served in the defensive sector along with the AEF.

Cleveland Panthers

In 1946, Zimmerman's "Panthers" moniker was ranked second in a contest sponsored by the ''

Cleveland Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...

'' for fans to name Cleveland's new

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many ...

franchise. Coach

Paul Brown Paul Eugene Brown (September 7, 1908 – August 5, 1991) was an American American football, football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), the National Football League (NFL), and the American Football League (AFL). ...

did not want the new team named after him, so he looked into naming the club the Panthers. However the team's secretary, George T. Jones, reportedly demanded too much money and the team was instead named the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

Personal life

Zimmerman married twice in his life, first to Anna Hill- who died in December 1897- and then to Ethel Vogt on June 5, 1900. He died unexpectedly in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on November 14, 1926. He was buried at

Knollwood Cemetery Knollwood Cemetery is a cemetery located at 1678 SOM Center Road in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. Established in 1908, it is one of the largest cemeteries in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. A mausoleum was completed in 1926, and an expansion fin ...

Mayfield Heights, Ohio Mayfield Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,351 at the 2020 census. An eastern suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. History Mayfield Heights was initially built up ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmerman, Charles 1865 births 1926 deaths Businesspeople from Cleveland People from Euclid, Ohio American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Burials at Knollwood Cemetery Military personnel from Ohio