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

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 protect ...

salesman and

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 ...

promoter. 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 on high ground sou ...

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

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, actuary and businessman. Ives was among the earliest renowned American composers to achieve recognition on a global scale. His music was largely ignored d ...

to start their own company, Ives and Myrick. Myrick was known for his contributions to insurance industry. In 1910, he was involved in founding the first training college for insurance agents. He helped set up American College of Life Underwriters (now known as The American College) in 1927. He was 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, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The club has 38 tennis courts in all four surfaces (clay court, Har-Tru, grass court and hardcourt), a junior ...

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 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 generat ...

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 tenn ...

) from 1920 to 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, 13 grass tennis courts, an ...

in 1969 for his contribution to the sport in the United States and his administrative abilities. Myrick was a lifelong Republican and a strong supporter

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

'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. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. He was a Republican delegate in

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 (state), New York. It includes all of Rockland County, New York, Rockland County and Putnam County, N ...

. However, during the presidential election in 1920, Myrick supported Democratic candidate James M. Cox for his stand on

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) 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 (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

. 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 of the United States, President Harry S. Truman in 1947 to recommend administrative changes in the ...

References

External links

Profile
International Tennis Hall of Fame website. Accessed April 6, 2024. {{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 Sports promoters Presidents of the United States Tennis Association Charles Ives