Francis "Frank" Townsend Hunter (June 28, 1894 – December 2, 1981) was an American

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player who won an Olympic

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

. He won the U.S. National Indoor Championships in 1922 and 1930 and the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1919.

Early and personal life

Hunter graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in 1916, where he was a member of the Quill and Dagger society, the ice hockey team, and the Alpha-Kappa Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. During WWI he was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy and served on Admiral Beatty's flagship of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. He later wrote a book about his experiences with the Admiral. Hunter was the second husband of the actress Lisette Verea in 1954."Mrs. Lisette Ruegg Wed to F. T. Hunter"
''New York Times'' (June 22, 1954): 23. Hunter was later successful in the coal and printing industries.

Tennis career

Hunter won the U.S. National Indoor Championships in 1922 and again in 1930 and the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1919. Hunter was a singles finalist at Wimbledon in 1923 (where he beat

Gordon Lowe Sir Francis Gordon Lowe, 2nd Baronet (21 June 1884 – 17 May 1972) was a British male tennis player. Lowe is best remembered for winning the Australasian Championships in 1915 (where he beat champion Horace Rice in the final). and for winni ...

, then lost to Bill Johnston). Hunter won a

at the 1924 Paris Olympics, in the men's doubles event with partner

Vincent Richards Vincent Richards (March 20, 1903 – September 28, 1959) was an American tennis player. He was active in the early decades of the 20th century, particularly known as being a superlative volleyer. He was ranked World No. 2 as an amateur in 1924 b ...

. He won the Scheveningen Championships on red clay in the Netherlands in 1928 defeating Hendrik Timmer in the semifinal in four sets and Jean Borotra in the final in three straight sets. Hunter reached the U.S. championships singles final in 1928 (where he beat Jack Crawford and George Lott, then lost to Henri Cochet in five sets). He reached his third Grand Slam singles final at the U.S. championships in 1929 where he beat R. Norris Williams, losing the final in five sets to Bill Tilden. He was ranked World No. 4 in 1929 by A. Wallis Myers of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and World No. 5 in another Myers list in September the same year."Tilden Ranks Fourth in London Telegraph Rankings"
''The Toledo News-Bee'', September 19, 1929. Hunter won the Brooklyn Indoor Championships in 1930 defeating J. Gilbert Hall in the semifinal. Hunter turned professional in mid January 1931 joining Bill Tilden. He reached the final of the U.S. Pro Championships in 1933 where he lost to

. As well as playing on the pro tour, Hunter was also a promoter, including promoting the first Perry-Vines tour in 1937 with S. Howard Voshell.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 runners-up

Doubles: 3 titles

Mixed doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runners-up)

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Francis 1894 births 1981 deaths American male tennis players Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey players Cornell Big Red men's tennis players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in tennis Tennis players from New York City Sportspeople from New Rochelle, New York Tennis players from Westchester County, New York International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Tennis players at the 1924 Summer Olympics United States National champions (tennis) Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era) Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Professional tennis players before the Open Era Professional tennis promoters 20th-century American sportsmen