Draft:John Albert Ryerson

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John Albert Ryerson (March 1866 – May 16, 1910) was an American tennis player active in the late 19th century, a Columbia University graduate Class of 1885 at the age of nineteen, and an automobile manufacturer.

Mr. Ryerson was the Runner Up with Charles Carver in the 1890 US Open Men's Doubles Tournament, [1] and was the Runner Up in the 1890 and 1892 Men's Singles Western Championships. [2]

Afterwards, he and his brother moved to Chicago, and he became a business manager.

In November 1909, Mr. Ryerson invested $35,000 (equivalent to $1,099,000 in 2022) into the Ideal Electric Company. The company manufactured electric Brougham cars. On May 16, 1910, he fell to his death from the thirteenth floor of the Chamber of Commerce Building, Chicago, Illinois. The Circuit Court of Chicago ruled it an accident. [3]

His younger brother Dr. Edwin W. Ryerson said, "If my brother ended his life, [and] I can hardly believe that he did, it must have been during a sudden attack of insanity brought on by business worry. He always was a man of normal mentality, and we all relied upon his sound advice in business matters." A business associate in the company said, "I don't believe his financial affairs caused Mr. Ryerson to commit suicide." Another associate, C. J. Holdrege, secretary, and sales manager of the company said, "Ours is a new company, started only last fall, but our business has been growing steadily, and there is nothing about it that should have caused discouragement to any of us. I saw him at noon, and he was at work at the company plant this morning. His demeanor was the same as usual. He has been quieter and more reticent for several months than formerly, following what threatened to be a nervous breakdown. We urged him to take a rest at the time and have given him the same advice since, but our work has been heavy, and he has insisted on staying with it." [4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ https://www.usopen.org/en_US/visit/history/mdchamps.html,
  2. ^ Tournaments: Western States - Western Championships". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, 1914, Oct 15, Thu, Page 13
  4. ^ Chicago Tribune, 1910, May 17, Tue, Page 1