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Gene Vidal

Who is Mr Vidal?

The identity of several of the first 61 USA rugby players, those that played between 1912 and 1924, has never been fully resolved in modern times. This has been largely due to the fact that international rugby in the USA did not recommence until 1976 and the interest wasn’t there. The website scrum.com lists some players with surnames with initials and no further details apart from the games they played. There is one name, for me, that stands out in that list and that is a man who played on the wing for the USA against France in Colombes on 10^th October 1920. He is just called Mr Vidal. I believe he can only be one person and that is Eugene “Gene” Victor Vidal. Not a name that you may instantly recognise and he is perhaps more famous because of his son, the author Gore Vidal, but he has a remarkable history himself.

His Wikipedia page says

He was born on April 13, 1895 in Madison, South Dakota.

Vidal was a versatile athlete. At the University of South Dakota (USD) from 1913 to 1916, Vidal was a football, basketball, baseball and track letterman, and was captain of the 1915 football team and 1916 basketball team, leading the basketball team in scoring in 1915 and 1916 and helping the University to the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference title this year. Vidal transferred to West Point in 1918, where became the captain of the football team.

Vidal participated in the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, he finished seventh in the decathlon at Antwerp in 1920. He was the first graduate of USD to be on an Olympic team.

He played for the American Professional Football Association's Washington Senators in 1921.

In 1922 Vidal married Nina Gore, daughter of Thomas Gore, Democratic senator from Oklahoma.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Luther_Vidal - cite_note-3 They were divorced in 1935, after she ran off to marry the wealthy stockbroker Hugh D. Auchincloss. A few years later, in 1939, Vidal married Katherine Roberts.

Vidal taught aeronautics at West Point and was one of the first Army Air Corps pilots. He went on to become one of the pioneers in the commercial aviation industry. From 1933 to 1937, Vidal was Director of the Commerce Department's Bureau of Air Commerce and helped found three American airlines during the 1920s and '30s; Eastern Airlines, TWA and Northeast Airlines, along with aviatrix Amelia Earhart (with whom he had a romantic relationship, according to biographers Susan Butler and Paul Collins). Vidal also formed the New York, Philadelphia and Washington Airway Corporation, an airline that offered hourly round-trip service between the cities, in 1930. He was also an investor in the Boston and Maine Railroad.

Later in life he served as a director of Northeast Airlines and was an aviation adviser to the Army Chief of Staff.

He died on February 20, 1969 in Los Angeles, California

Above Gene Vidal at South Dakota University

Above Vidal playing American Football in 1916

The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame claim that Gene Vidal played rugby in the Inter-Allied Games in Paris in 1919, which was captained by Herbert Rowell Stotz who previously played rugby for the USA against the All Blacks in 1913. Gene was there and came second in the Pentathlon. The USA rugby side came runners up to France.

Above poster for the 1919 Inter-Allied Games

Above some of the US Rugby at the Inter-Allied Games in Paris in 1919

Above action from the Inter-Allied Games in Paris in 1919.

There were three games played at the Inter-Allied Games. They were

23^rd June 1919 France 48 – Romania 5

26^th June 1919 USA 23 – Romania 0

29^th June 1919 France 8 – USA 3

The players that were included in US side that took part in the Inter-Allied Games in Paris in 1919 included California College players and two at English Universities. Those known from the book published by the Games Committee are

Name	Notes (with possible identity from various sources)
Captain Herbert Rowell Stoltz	Played for USA v New Zealand 1913
W.F.Hopkins
Lt. Sherman
2^nd Lt. W.O.Fletcher
Lt. Herbert Clock	Born 25 Oct 1890 New York
2^nd Lt. John W. Coulter	John Wesley Coulter, University of California
Captain Kenneth L. Dole	Kenneth Llewellyn Dole. Ex. Stanford University
Lt. Arthur L. Erb	Arthur Leslie Erb. Born 22.1.1893. Stanford University. 91^st Division US Army.
Lt. George Winthrop Fish	Won gold medal 1920 Olympics USA side v France
2^nd Lt R.T.Fisher
Corp. James P. Fitzpatrick	James Paul Fitzpatrick went on to play for the USA the following year in both games against France
Sgt. Henry P. Hauser	Stanford University
Corp. Frank D. Keeler	Frank Drew Keeler
Lt. Seth Millington	Seth Millington Jnr. from California born 1894, became lawyer
Pvt. Frederic H. Moore
Lt. Robert R. Norris
Pvt. J.T.O’Neil	John Thomas O’Neil went on to play 4 times for the USA including 2 Olympic finals
Lt. L.H.Slocum
2^nd Lt. Gordon Snavely	Gordon Palmer Snavely born 3^rd Feb 1896 Woodland, California, died 27^th May 1950 Monterey Co., California
Lt. James H. Thorburn
2^nd Lt. Irving F. Twombey
Corp. Charles A. Schrader
Captain Eugene Victor Vidal

At the Olympic Games Antwerp in 1920, Vidal finished seventh in the decathlon. He had sprained his right wrist in a car accident just before the Olympics, and any event that required throwing, like the javelin, he had to do left-handed. One month later the USA, the Olympic Rugby Champions, played a French side looking for revenge after the final they had lost.

Above the USA side that played a French XV on 10^th October 1920. The correct players are Back Row (L-R): Templeton, Muldoon, Wrenn, Winston, Kirksey, Scholz, Davis, Carroll, Righter, Fish, Patrick, Tilden (captain), Hazeltine, C.Slater, Fitzpatrick, Wallace. Front Row: Doe, Hunter, Von Schmidt, Mehan, O’Neil. (players names in bold played in match)

Note in the above photo the player’s name who is missing (is between the ‘’ does resemble Winston’s passport photo and not Vidal, who is missing from the photo.

Above left Winston’s Passport photo from 1920. Above right the 1924 photo is clearer although older

As Gene Vidal was a well-known sportsman, had a unique name and was at the Olympics only a month previous. It is highly likely he is the missing man. However in what is believed to be a photo of the side from that match, above, a Vidal is not present and no confirmation has yet been found.

Above Gene Vidal in 1924 when he went to Paris to help the USA Olympic squad and participate in the Decathlon.

Above Gene Vidal on the front cover of Time Magazine in 1933

Above Gene Vidal (extreme right). Eight of the twelve members of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics attending the 9th Annual Aircraft Engineering Research Conference posed for this photograph at Langley Field, Virginia, on May 23, 1934. Those pictured are (left to right): Brig. Gen. Charles A. Lindbergh, USAFR Vice Admiral Arthur B. Cook, USN Charles G. Abbot, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Dr. Joseph S. Ames, Committee Chairman Orville Wright Edward P. Warner Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, USN Eugene L. Vidal, Director, Bureau of Air Commerce. Image copyright NASA.

Above Gene Vidal and Amelia Earhart

Gene Vidal was played by the actor Ewan McGregor in the 2009 film Amelia, which alludes to his romance with Amelia Earhart.

Players

I have tried to complete the list of the first 61 USA Internationals, on scrum.com, via several internet sources but mostly via http://www.ancestry .com and connection with relatives of former players, several US Newspapers, Stanford and the University of California Yearbooks, the US Censuses and Spalding’s Rugby Annuals. There are still many gaps, see below

Name	Born	Died	Buried	Club	Position	Internationals Played	Profession	RHS Article
AllenChester Arthur Allen[1]	6^th December 1886 Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA	July[2] 1974 Santa Paula, Venture, California, USA	Allenwood Cememtery, Allenwood, New Jersey, USA	University of California	centre	1912 vA	Mining
ArrellJames Lee Arrell	7^th November 1888 Wyandotta, Kansas, USA	26^th March 1955 Abeline, Texas	Elmwood Memorial Park, Abilene, Taylor County, Texas, USA	Stanford University/Olympic RFC	prop	1912 vA	Oil Worker	Yes
AustinCharles Allphin Austin	3^rd June 1892 Bellingham, Washington, USA	15^th March 1980 Marin, California, USA		Olympic RFC	centre	1912 vA, 1913 vNZ	Civil Engineer
ErbBenjamin Edward Erb	3^rd December 1892 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA	8^th June 1988 Novato, Marin, California, USA		Stanford University	fullback	1912 vA	Sawmill/Lumber jack	Yes
GardFrank “Deke” Jacob Gard	27th March 1892 in Tremont City, Ohio	killed on 27^th September 1918 Gesnes	Plot B Row 33 Grave 24, Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne, France	Stanford University	flanker	1912 vA, 1913 vNZ[3]		Yes
PHarriganhilip Frederick Harrigan	16^th September 1891 Sacramento, California, USA	1918[4]		Stanford University	fly-half	1912 vA	Investment Bonds
KingWilliam Norris King	3^rd December 1890 Beresford, San Mateo, Califronia, USA	1937[5]		University of California	flanker	1912 vA, 1913 vNZ	Rancher	Yes
McKimJoseph “Chalk” Louis McKim	25^th August 1891 Los Refugios, Sonora, Mexico	25^th July 1965 San Diego, California, USA		University of California	prop	1912 vA, 1913 vNZ	Farmer	Yes
MomsonChris Martin Momson[6]	26^th May 1891 California, USA	29^th January 1959 Fresno, California, USA		Santa Clara University[7]	no. 8	1912 vA	Farmer
MorrisLaird Monterey Morris	9^th October 1889 California, USA	19^th August 1954, San Francisco, USA		University of California	scrum-half	1912 vA[8]	Medicine	Yes
NobleRalph Matthews Noble	28^th March 1889 Harlan, Iowa, USA	Shot down and later died in a German Hospital 10^th May 1918	Plot A Row 29 Grave 13 Somme American Cemetery Bony, France	Stanford University	wing	1912 vA	Farmer	Yes
PeartStirling Benjamin Peart	24^th December 1890 California, USA	26^th November 1963 Yolo, California, USA		University of California	wing	1912 vA, 1913 vNZ	Farmer	Yes
SanbornAugustus Mudge Sanborn	9^th March 1888 Redlands, California, USA	25^th August 1940 Hood River County, Oregon, USA	Block B, Hillside Memorial Park, Redlands, California, USA	Stanford University	hooker	1912 vA	Farmer
SchauppKarl Ludwig Schaupp	3^rd January 1893 Santa Clara, California, USA	2^nD March 1975 Marin, California, USA		Stanford University	lock	1912 vA	Medicine
SmithWarren Locke Smith	8^th November 1886 Ferndale, Humbolt, California, USA	22^nd July 1962 Miranda, Humbolt, California, USA		Barbarians/University of California	lock	1912 vA	Farmer
BlaseRoland “Jumbo” Roy Blase	3^rd May 1887 St. Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota, USA	16^th March 1979 St. Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota, USA		Stanford University	lock	1913 vNZ	Engineer	Yes
CarrollDaniel Brendon Carroll	17^th February 1892[9] Flemington, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	5^th August 1956 New Orleans, USA		Stanford University	centre	1913 vNZ, 1920 vF	Oil	Yes
CassLouis Cass	16^th November 1889 Los Angeles, USA	9^th August 1971 Los Angeles, California, USA	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California	Stanford University	scrum-half	1913 vNZ	Insurance Broker	Yes
DarsieWilliam Petigrew Darsie	6^th January 1891 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA	30^th January 1954 Santa Clara, USA		Stanford University	flanker	1913 v NZ	Farmer	Yes
GlasscockG. Glasscock[10]				Barbarians/Olympic RFC	prop	1913 vNZ
HallElwin Benoni Hall	24^th March 1891 Ventura, California, USA	20^th January 1949, Los Angeles, California, USA	Inglewood Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, USA	Stanford University	hooker	1913 vNZ	Geologist/Oil	Yes
MitchellMowatt Merrill Mitchell	18th September 1886 San Francisco, California, USA	18^th February 1980 Santa Clara, California, USA		Los Angeles Athletic Club	fly-half	1913 vNZ	Civil Servant	Yes
RamageJames Addison Ramage[11]	28^th March 1894 Haywards, California, USA	5^th April 1961 Almeda, California, USA		Santa Clara University	fullback	1913 vNZ
UrbanJoseph “Josef” Charles Urban	19^th March 1891 Elkhorn, Webster, Iowa, USA	20^th December 1957 Santa Clara, California, USA		Stanford University	wing	1913 vNZ	Geologist
Henry Joseph “VoightGuy” Voight	30^th September 1889 Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA	12^th August 1937 Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA		Santa Clara University	lock	1913 vNZ	Florist	Yes
KnowlesAlfred Barton Knowles[12]	15^th May 1895 Fruitvale, Oakland, California, USA	16^th March 1972 Sonoma, California, USA		Olympic RFC	(replacement)	1913 vNZ
StolzHerbert Rowell Stolz	20^th August 1886 Waimea, Kauai, Hawaii	16^th January 1971 Santa Clara, California, USA		Stanford University	(replacement)	1913 vNZ	Medicine
Charles Webster Doe Jnr.	4^th September 1898 San Francisco, California, USA	19^th November 1995 Contra Costa Co, California, USA		Stanford University/Olympic RFC	flanker	1920 VF XV, vF 1924 vR[13], vF	Family lumber business
George Winthrop “Dixie” Fish	4^th April 1895 Los Angeles, California, USA	22^nd February 1977 East Hampton, New York, USA		University of California	no. 8	1920 vF	Medicine	Yes
James Paul “Jim” Fitzpatrick[14]	2 June 1892 Los Angeles, California, USA	9^th October 1973 San Marino, California, USA		Santa Clara University/Olympic RFC	prop	1920 vF XV, vF
Joseph “Lou” Garvin Hunter	4^th October 1899 Louisville, Kentucky, USA	10^th September 1984 Santa Barbara, California, USA		Santa Clara University	lock	1920 vF
Morris Marshall Kirksey	13^th September 1895 Waxahachie, Texas, USA	25^th November 1981 Stanford, California, USA		Stanford University	lock	1920 vF	staff psychiatrist for the state Department of Corrections, assigned to San Quentin and Folsom prisons.
Charles Thomas Mehan	15^th May 1896 Nogeles, Arizona, USA	11^th August 1972 Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz, California, USA		University of California	scrum-half	1920 vF XV, vF,
William “John” Scully Muldoon	2^nd March 1896 Ione, California, USA	2^nd January 1944 Napa, California, USA		Santa Clara University	prop	1920 vF XV, vF,
John Thomas O'Neil	4^th October 1898 Faulkton, South Dakota, USA	25^th March 1950 Los Angeles, California, USA		Santa Clara University	hooker	1920 vF XV, vF 1924 vR, vF	Oil
John “Jack” Clarence Patrick	25^th November 1898 Palo Alto, California, USA	31^st March 1959 San Francisco, California, USA		Stanford University	centre	1920 vF XV 1924 vR, vF	Insurance
Cornelius Erwin “Swede” Righter	7^th March 1897 Campbell, California, USA	6^th September 1985 Dayton, Ohio, USA		Stanford University	wing	1920 vF	Sports Coach
Rudolph ”Rudy” John Scholz	17^th June 1896 Kewanee, Illinois, USA	9^th December 1981 Palo Alto, California, USA		Santa Clara University	fly-half	1920 vF XV, vF 1924 vR, vF	Law	Yes
Robert “Dink” Lyman Templeton	27^th May 1897 Helena, Montana, USA	7^th August 1962 Palo Alto, Califtonia, USA		Stanford University	fullback	1920 vF	Track Coach/Broadcaster/Journalist
Charles Lee Tilden Jnr	4^th June 1894 Alameda, California, USA	1^st November 1968 Fairfield, California, USA		University of California	wing	1920 vF XV[15], vF[16]
Heaton Luse Wrenn	18^th January 1900 San Francisco, California, USA	16^th January 1978 Honolulu, Hawaii		Stanford University	centre	1920 vF XV, vF	Law
DavisGeorge Erwin William Davis	19^th January 1897 San Francisco, California, USA	November 1977 Pacific Grove, Monterey, California, USA		University of California	fullback	1920 vF
Colby “Babe” Edward Slater	30^th April 1896 Berkeley, California, USA	30^th January 1965 Clarksburg, California, USA		University of California	lock	1920 vF, 1924 vF[17]	Farmer	Yes
Eugene “Gene” Luther Vidal	13^th April 1895 Madison, South Dakota, USA	20^th February 1969 Los Angeles, USA		University of South Dakota	wing	1920 vF	Aviation	Yes
Harold von Schmidt	19^th May 1893 Almeda, California, USA	3^rd June 1982 Westport, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA			five-eighth	1920 vF	Magazine Illustrator	Yes
Davis McQuat Wallace	20^th Feb 1900 Saltillo, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico	14^th July 1986 Houston, Texas USA		Stanford University	flanker	1920 vF	Refrigeration Manager
James Wallace Winston Jnr[18]	16^th November 1896 Los Angeles, California, USA	19^th September 1981 San Francisco, California, USA		University of California	wing-forward	1920 vF XV
Phillip Corriston Clark	18^th September 1898 San Francisco, California, USA	16^th December 1985 Riverside, California, USA		Stanford University	flanker	1924 vR	Geologist and petroleum engineer
Norman Cleaveland	4th April 1901, California, USA	June 8^th 1997, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA		Stanford University	centre	1924 vR, vF	Dredging/Mining	Yes
Robert Humphrey Coleman Devereaux	24^th August 1897 Cheshire, Ohio, USA	28^th April 1974 San Francisco, California, USA		Stanford University	wing	1924 vR, vF	Insurance
George Martin Dixon	10^th April 1901 Vallejo, California, USA	23^rd August 1991 San Francisco, California, USA		University of California	five-eighth	1924 vR, vF	Oil. Later became a pilot.
Edward Graff	20^th August 1897 San Francisco, California, USA	19^th March 1954 Sonoma, California, USA		University of California	prop	1924 vR, vF	Sports Coach
Richard “Tricky Dicky” Francis Hyland	26^th July 1900 San Francisco, California, USA	16^th July 1981 Wawona, California,, USA		Stanford University	wing	1924 vR, vF	Journalist	Yes
Caesar J. Mannelli	8^th July 1897 Forni di Sopra, Udine, Italy	3^rd May 1936 Mayberry Slough, Antioch, California, USA		Santa Clara University	prop	1924 vR, vF	Engineer	Yes
Norman Bernard Slater	23^rd January 1894 San Francisco, California, USA	1^st March 1979 Clarksburg, California, USA		Olympic RFC	flanker	1924 vR	Farmer
Edward Laurence Turkington	10^th January 1899 San Francisco, USA	3^rd September 1996 Atherton, California, USA		University of California	five-eighth	1924 vR	Grain Broker. Later police commissioner for San Francisco
Alan Chester Valentine	23^rd February 1901 Glen Cove, New York, USA	14^th July 1980 Penobscot Bay Medical Center, Rockland, Maine, USA		Oxford University	lock	1924 vR, vF	Teacher	Yes
Alan Frank Williams	7^th October 1893 West Orange, New Jersey, USA	3^rd December 1984 Los Angeles, California, USA		University of California/Cornell/Olympic RFC	no. 8	1924 vR	Engineer
Dudley Sargent DeGroot	20^th November 1899 Chicago, Illinois[19]	5^th May 1970 El Cajon, California, USA		Stanford University	flanker	1924 vF	American Football Coach	Yes
Linn Markley Farrish	3rd October 1901 Rumsey, Yolo Co., California, USA	Killed in aircraft crash Balkan Mountains11th September 1944	Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia Section 2 Site 3435-F.	Stanford University	lock	1924 vF	Geologist and petroleum consultant	Yes
John Patrick William “Lefty” Rogers	6^th February 1902 Ventura, California, USA	13^th November 1987 Pebble Beach, California, USA		Stanford University	wing	1924 vF	Medicine

Legend

A:Australia, F:France, NZ:New Zealand, R:Romania

Dates and places in grey are uncertain and await confirmation.

Matches

The matches played by the USA prior to 1976 are

USA v Australia 16^th November 1912 California Field, Berkeley

USA v New Zealand 15^th November 1913 California Field, Berkeley

USA v France XV 5^th September 1920 Antwerp

USA v France 10^th October 1920 Colombes, Paris

USA v Romania 5^th May 1924 Colombes, Paris

USA v France 18^th May 1924 Colombes, Paris

The demise and rebirth of rugby in the USA

Beginning with the season of 1906, rugby union became the game of choice at Stanford University, Berkeley and several other colleges in California but the sport had died out by the outbreak of World War I.

Rugby remerged at the US Colleges in the 1960s. The number of clubs grew from about 80 to over 1,000 between 1964 and 1980. The United States of American Rugby Football Union (USARFU) was formed in 1975 and internationals returned the following year.

This article is a work in progress

Patrick Casey

http://www.cliftonrfchistory.co.uk

https://sites.google.com/site/caseybooks/

[1] A.E.Allen is incorrect

[2] Exact day unknown. Month and year taken from Social Security Records

[3] He was captain v New Zealand in 1913

[4] Details at present unknown

[5] Exact date unknown. Year obtained from record of 1947 legal dispute over the King will.

[6] E.Momson is incorrect

[7] Later transferred to the University of California

[8] He was captain v Australia in 1912

[9] There is still uncertainty over his year of birth 1887 or 1892

[10] Identity unknown

[11] The name and dates are a best fit at the moment

[12] The name and dates are a best fit at the moment

[13] Captain

[14] The middle initial C is incorrect

[15] Captain

[16] Captain

[17] Captain

[18] James Duarte Winston is incorrect

[19] 10^th November 1899 is incorrect. This date of birth is taken from his passport. Also his surname is DeGroot and not De Groot

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