Henry Ward Beecher (1868 - 1948)

Born 13 Sep 1868 in Peeksill, New York

Ancestors

Died 26 Sep 1948 at age 80 in Wilmette, Cook, Illinois

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Biography

Henry Ward Beecher, or better known as Harry Beecher, was the eldest son of Henry Barton Beecher and Eunice Beecher and the grandson of the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher and the grandnephew of Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Harry graduated Yale University in 1888. There, he had a storied career as Yale Bulldog football player and was credited with 33 touchdowns in 1886. In 1887, Harry was captain of the team and served as the team’s quarterback. One sportswriter has called Harry the school’s greatest ever quarterback. Harry was the subject of the first ever football card.

His involvement with college sports at Yale also included being the winner of the feather-weight sparring and winter athletic games in his Freshman year; and a member of the Yale Yacht Club. He was also a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Scroll and Key.

After his graduation from Yale, Harry joined his father’s insurance company in Brooklyn, New York. He was also a stockbroker with S. V. White from 1894-98. He worked as a sports editor at the New York Journal from 1898-1907. Then he served as a manager for Bellman Brook Bleachery Company in Fairview, New Jersey. After this, he worked for his uncle’s company, the Scoville Manufacturing Company, in Waterbury, Conn. In 1927, Harry moved to Fontana, California, and operated a farm until his retirement in 1939.

From California, Harry moved to the Chicago area, where he was a member of the First Congregational Church at Wilmette.

Harry and Mary Frances Beecher, the daughter of James and Frances Beecher, got married April 12, 1899 in Brooklyn. They were the parents of Margaret, Henry Ward III, and Lyman. Harry and Mary were divorced.

Harry died of heart failure and his remains were buried at Memorial Cemetery, Wilmette.

The above biography incorporates material from two sources: Graduates of Yale University Deceased during the Year 1948-1949 (passages of which are quoted extensively) and Harry's Wikipedia page.

Sources

• Wikipedia article about Harry Beecher, focusing on his college football career at Yale.
• Harry Beecher, Notable Yale Bulldogs Football Players.
• Major elements of the biography incorporate material from the obituary notice for Harry that appeared in Graduates of Yale University Deceased during the Year 1948-1949.