Julius Seligson

{{short description|American tennis player}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox tennis biography | name = Julius "Julie" Seligson | image =  | image_size = | caption =  | fullname = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | itf_name =  | country_represented = {{USA}} | residence = | birth_date = December 22, 1909 | birth_place = New York City, NY, US | death_date = {{death date and age|1987|10|13|1909|12|22}} | death_place = Westport, Connecticut, US | height = | college = Lehigh University | coach =  | turnedpro = 1926 (amateur circuit) | retired = 1939 | plays = | careerprizemoney = | tennishofyear =  | tennishofid =  | website =

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| medaltemplates =  | medaltemplates-expand =  | updated =  }} '''Julius "Julie" Seligson''' (December 22, 1909, in New York City – October 13, 1987) was an American tennis player in the early part of the 20th century.

Seligson was ranked as high as # 8 in USTA Singles in 1928.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yu9NAAAAYAAJ&q=Julius+Seligson|title=The American Hebrew|date=September 22, 1940|publisher=American Hebrew|via=Google Books}}</ref> In 1928 he won the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship in singles. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.

==Early and personal life== Seligson was born in New York City, New York, and was Jewish, and experienced anti-Semitism in tennis.<ref name=autogenerated6>[http://www.jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=tennis&ID=45 Seligson, Julie : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum]</ref><ref name=autogenerated5>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dAq4TGQsWwwC&q=Julius+Seligson&pg=PA173|title=Day by Day in Jewish Sports History|first=Bob|last=Wechsler|date= 2008|publisher=KTAV Publishing House, Inc.|isbn=9780881259698|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated3>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OyEuDwAAQBAJ&q=Julius+Seligson&pg=PT201|title=Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis from the Age of Honor to the Cult of the Superstar|first=E. Digby|last=Baltzell|date= 2017|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781351488341|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AgmDAAAAMAAJ&q=Julius+Seligson|title=Encyclopedia of Jews in Sports|first1=Bernard|last1=Postal|first2=Jesse|last2=Silver|first3=Roy|last3=Silver|date=September 22, 1965|publisher=Bloch Publishing Company|via=Google Books}}</ref> He attended Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School.<ref name=autogenerated3 />

In 1937 he married Gertrude "Gerry" Seligson (nee Goodman).<ref name=autogenerated8>{{Cite web|url=https://westportnow.com/index.php?/v3/comments/gertrude_gerry_seligson_95/|title=Gertrude "Gerry" Seligson, 95|website=WestportNow|date=10 February 2011 }}</ref> They lived in Westport, Connecticut, from 1948 on.<ref name=autogenerated7>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/14/obituaries/julius-seligson.html|title=Julius Seligson|work=The New York Times |date=October 14, 1987|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated8 />

==Tennis career==

As a junior he was the national boy's 18-and-under champion in 1925 and 1926.<ref name=autogenerated7 /> In 1927 he won the Eastern Grass Court Championships.

He played collegiate tennis at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1930.<ref name=autogenerated5 /><ref name=autogenerated1>{{Cite web|url=https://lehighsports.com/sports/2013/6/4/GEN_0604135149.aspx|title=Traditions & History & - Hall of Fame|website=Lehigh University Athletics}}</ref> Seligson never lost a regular season match.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> In 1928 he won the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship in singles, beating Ben Gorchakoff 6–1, 6–1, 6–1, to become Lehigh’s first individual national champion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aggieathletics.com/specialsites/ncaatennis2005/hist-singles.php |title=2005 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships |accessdate=2007-02-21 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050512084557/http://www.aggieathletics.com/specialsites/ncaatennis2005/hist-singles.php |archivedate=May 12, 2005 }}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1 /> <ref name=autogenerated6 /> He won 66 straight matches, before losing in the 1930 NCAA finals 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 8–6 to Cliff Sutter of Tulane.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref name=autogenerated7 />

He won the NCAA indoor singles championship in 1928, 1929, and 1930.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Seligson won the inaugural edition of the Eastern Grass Court Championships in 1927 at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. That same season he was runner-up at the inaugural Eastern Clay Court Championships at the Jackson Heights Tennis Club in Queens, N.Y. and also won the Kings County Championships in Brooklyn.

In 1928, 1930, and 1932 he won the New York Metropolitan Clay Court Championships.<ref name=autogenerated4>{{Cite web|url=http://history.lehighsports.com/playerstats/display/15/1930/350|title=Lehigh - Julius Seligson|website=history.lehighsports.com}}</ref> Seligson also won the Metropolitan Grass Court Championships in 1928 defeating Berkeley Bell in the final in four sets. In 1928 and 1930, he was a singles finalist at the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships. In 1929, at the Cincinnati Masters, he reached the singles final, where he lost to Herbert Bowman in four sets: 6–2, 4–6, 4–6, 1–6. Seligson was ranked as high as # 8 in USTA Singles in 1928.<ref name=autogenerated2 />

===Halls of Fame=== In 1992, he was inducted into the Lehigh University Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 2002 he was enshrined into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://usctrojans.com/news/2002/5/15/rick_leach_to_be_inducted_to_ita_hall_of_fame.aspx|title=Rick Leach To Be Inducted To ITA Hall Of Fame|website=USC Athletics}}</ref>

==After tennis career==

After graduation he became an insurance broker.<ref name=autogenerated4 />

Seligson died in 1987 of a melanoma at his home in Westport, Connecticut. He was 77 years old.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/14/obituaries/julius-seligson.html|title=Julius Seligson obituary|date=October 14, 1987|work=The New York Times|accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1 />

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=tennis&ID=45 Jews in Sports bio]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seligson, Julius}} Category:Lehigh University alumni Category:Jewish American tennis players Category:1909 births Category:Tennis players from New York City Category:1987 deaths Category:American male tennis players Category:Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School alumni Category:20th-century American Jews Category:College men's tennis players in Pennsylvania Category:Jews from New York (state) Category:People from Westport, Connecticut Category:Jews from Connecticut Category:20th-century American sportsmen

Julius Seligson

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