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William Starling Burgess

William Starling Burgess

Male 1878 - 1947

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  • Born  25 Dec 1878  Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2] 
    Gender  Male 
    Census  1880  Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 

    • Edward Burgess, 31, history professor, born in Massachusetts. C. L. Burgess, 26, born in Ohio. Starling Burgess, 1, born in Massachusetts. M. A. Dolan, 39, servant, born in Ireland. Annie Chisholm, 19, servant born in Nova Scotia.
    Census  1900  Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  [4] 

    • William S. Burgess, 21, at school, born Dec 1878 in Massachusetts.
    Census  1910  Marblehead, Essex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  [5] 

    • W. Starling Burgess, 32, boat builder, born in Massachusetts, married 5 years. Rosamond T. Burgess, 32, born in Massachusetts, married 5 years, 3 chidren 3 living. Henry L. Higginson, 9, stepson, born in Massachusetts. Edward Burgess, 4, born in Massachusetts. Frederick J. Burgess, 3, born in Massachusetts. Myrtle Tweedy, 35, maid, born in Canada. Mary Driscoll, 30, cook, born in Ireland. Katherine Higgens, 20, waitress, born in Ireland.
    Passport  21 Sep 1914  Marblehead, Essex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  [6] 

    • Name: William Starling Burgess
      Birth Date: 25 Dec 1878
      Birth Place: Boston, Massachusetts
      Age: 35
      Residence: Marblehead, Massachusetts
      Passport Issue Date: 21 Sep 1914
      Passport Includes a Photo: No
    Census  1920  Manhattan, New York, New York Find all individuals with events at this location  [7] 

    • William S. Burgess, 40, yacht designer, born in Massachusetts. Rosamond Burgess, 41, artist - painter, born in Massachusetts. Frederick Burgess, 13, born in Massachusetts. Starling Burgess, 4 yrs 3 mos, born in Massachusetts. Mary Burnett, 47, bornin Minnesota. Amato Frank, 50, servant, widow, born in Scotland.
    Census  1930  Darien, Fairfield, Connecticut Find all individuals with events at this location  [8] 

    • W. Starling Burgess, 51, boat designer, born in Massachusetts, married at age 26. Elsie J. Burgess, 27, born in Massachusetts, married at age 23. Anne Burgess, 2 yrs 3 mos., born in New York. Diana Burgess, 1 mo., born in New York. Julia A. Foss, 53, widow, born in India.
    Education  Harvard class of 1901  [1] 
    _UID  2D3D58635605495AB9D66CE64D84FDAF818E 
    Died  19 Mar 1947  Hoboken, Hudson, New Jersey Find all individuals with events at this location  [1] 
    Notes 
    • 3 children with Rosamond Tudor.

      W. Starling was a yacht designer / builder / racer.

      At age twelve when his father, Edward Burgess fell to typhoid fever, there was little doubt that W. Starling Burgess would one day rival his father's genius. He had inherited his father's analytical thought and uncommon sense of form. It hardly came as a surprise when the 22 year old Starling withdrew from Harvard in his senior year to open his own design firm.

      With legends such as Edward Burgess, Nathanael Herreshoff, George Lawley, Jr. and Arthur Binney for mentors, his success in yacht design seemed assured. Armed with his inherited talents, lessons from the masters of yacht design and an intelligence that kept him at the head of his class at Harvard, Burgess set out on his quest for speed and grace in yacht design.

      He found the embodiment of what he sought in design. ENTERPRISE, with her aluminum spars and Tru-Loc fittings proved her worth in a duel with SHAMROCK V in 1930. RAINBOW, another W. Starling Burgess design, gave the New York Yacht Club as good a scare as they would get, dropping two races to ENDEAVOUR before coming back to win the next four straight.

      In 1937, Starling took a rising young naval architect named Olin Stephens into his quest for grace and speed in America's Cup design. The result was the J-class masterpiece, RANGER. She was without equal. The fastest of the J boats, she crossed the line 17 minutes ahead of ENDEAVOUR II in their first race. RANGER never let her get closer than three and a half minutes as she took the series in four races. Those who saw RANGER called her the most beautiful, most powerful, and most destined to win.

      Starling Burgess' quest for design superiority drove him to success outside of the America's Cup arena as well. He was the first American to design twelve-meter class yachts. Of all his schooners, cutters, yawls and one designs, his favorite was the staysail schooner NINA. Today NINA has the distinction of having one of the best records in ocean racing history. He is also known for his airplane manufacturing company, which flew the first airplane in New England, and as the author of "The Eternal Laughter and Other Poems."

      *************************************************************

      William Starling Burgess (December 25, 1878 - 1947) was a yacht designer, aviation pioneer, and naval architect.

      William Starling Burgess was born in Boston. He was the son of Edward Burgess who died when Starling was 12. Starling attended Milton Academy and Harvard University. He was a partner in Burgess & Packard in 1902 with Alpheus Appleton Packard. In 1905 he established a yacht yard in Marblehead, Massachusetts and began designing and building yachts and boats.

      In 1908 he became interested in aviation and in 1909 joined with airplane designer Augustus Moore Herring who had left Glenn Curtiss to form the Herring-Burgess Company. The Herring-Burgess Co. built the biplane Flying Fish, which flew over Plum Island on April 17, 1910. This was first fully powered and controlled flight in New England. Herring-Burgess built several planes licensed by the Wright Brothers. Norman Prince and his friends hired Burgess to build a plane for them to race in the Gordon Bennett Cup Race.

      In 1911 Herring left, and Greely S. Curtis and Frank H. Russell joined Burgess to form the Burgess Company. In 1912 the Burgess Company built their first hydroplane designed by John William Dunne and soon was selling the Burgess-Dunne hydroplanes to the U.S.Army and the U.S. Navy. In addition, the Royal Canadian Air Force purchased a hydroplane in 1914. Burgess received the 3rd Collier Trophy to be issued in 1915 for his hydro-aeroplane. With its 800 employees, Burgess Company became the largest employer in Marblehead.

      When the U.S. entered WWI, the Burgess Company was sold to John N. Willys (who then sold it to Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company). Burgess joined the Navy, became a Lieutenant Commander and designed planes for the Navy.
      After the war he returned to boat design and construction and later designed three successful J-class yacht defenders of the America's Cup: Enterprise in 1930, Rainbow in 1934, and Ranger in 1937.

      In 1922 he and A. Loring Swasey and Frank C. Paine formed the design firm Burgess, Swasey & Paine in Boston. Lewis Francis Herreshoff worked with them. They designed several yachts, including the Advace for John S. Lawrence, the Gosson for Charles Francis Adams III, and the ELLEN for Charles Foster. In 1926 he dissolved Burgess, Swasey & Paine and joined the firm Burgess & Morgan, Ltd in New York City. In 1930 he was commuting to NYC and living in Darien, Connecticut with his wife Else and 2 children.

      Burgess was friends with Buckminster Fuller and was helped him when Fuller was designing and building his aluminum Dymaxion car.

      In 1935 he became a consulting naval architect for the Aluminum Company of America with his office at the Bath Iron Works, where he promoted the use of corrosion resistant alloys for ships. He designed the Alumette which was built at the Bath Iron Works. He also designed the sailing yacht Ranger with aluminum masts for Harold Stirling Vanderbilt and he worked closely with Geerd Hendel.

      During World War II he was employed as a civilian engineer and worked for the Anti-Submarine Development Detachment of the US Atlantic Fleet. In 1946 he was working at the Stevens Institute of Technology on damage control research.
      Burgess married 5 times. His first marriage was to Helene Adams Willard (1882-1902) in 1901. In 1904 he married Rosamond Tudor (b. 1878), the portrait artist and granddaughter of Frederic Tudor. Tudor and Burgess had 3 children: sons Edward (1905-1910), who drowned after falling off their boat and Fredrick (b. 1907) and daughter Starling (1915-2008). Starling later changed her name to Tasha Tudor. Burgess married Else Foss in 1925 and had two children, Diana and Ann. He subsequently wed Nannie Dale Biddle in 1933 and Marjorie Young in 1945.
      A friend of his last wife, Marjorie Young, described Burgess: "With all his brilliance, he is a child, and that is part of his charm. He will not face hard facts, but will hide from them and will love the person who shields him from them."

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki /Starling_Burgess [9]
    Person ID  I149829  Burgess
    Last Modified  23 Oct 2012 

    Father  Edward Burgess,   b. 30 Jun 1848, West Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 12 Jul 1891, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Mother  Caroline Louisa Sullivant,   b. 2 Nov 1854, Columbus, Franklin, Ohio Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Dec 1891, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Married  2 Jun 1877  Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID  F54608  Group Sheet

    Family 1  Helene Adams Willard,   b. 23 Jan 1882, Lexington, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 10 Jun 1902, , , Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Married  16 Oct 1901  Lexington, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  [10] 
    Last Modified  14 Apr 2009 
    Family ID  F54610  Group Sheet

    Family 2  Rosamond Tudor,   b. 20 Jun 1878, Bourne, Barnstable, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 26 Jun 1949, Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Married  13 Oct 1904  , , Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    Divorced  11 May 1925 
    Children 
     1. Edward Burgess,   b. 5 Aug 1905, Marblehead, Essex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Jun 1914, Marblehead, Essex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location
     2. Frederick Burgess,   b. 1907, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     3. Starling Tasha Tudor Burgess,   b. 28 Aug 1915, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 18 Jun 2008, Marlboro, Windham, Vermont Find all individuals with events at this location
    Last Modified  22 Dec 2011 
    Family ID  F54612  Group Sheet

    Family 3  Anna Hope Dale,   b. 26 Mar 1902, Ardmore, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown 
    Married  Abt 1924 
    Last Modified  22 Dec 2011 
    Family ID  F69473  Group Sheet

    Family 4  Elsie Janet Foss,   b. 14 Jan 1903, , , Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Mar 1970, Newton, Fairfield, Connecticut Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Married  23 Nov 1925  Wonalancet, Carroll, New Hampshire Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    Last Modified  22 Dec 2011 
    Family ID  F54611  Group Sheet

    Family 5  Marjorie G. Young 
    Married  1945  , Dade, Florida Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    Last Modified  23 Oct 2012 
    Family ID  F54653  Group Sheet

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBorn - 25 Dec 1878 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 1880 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 1900 - Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarried - 16 Oct 1901 - Lexington, Middlesex, Massachusetts Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarried - 13 Oct 1904 - , , Massachusetts Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 1910 - Marblehead, Essex, Massachusetts Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsPassport - 21 Sep 1914 - Marblehead, Essex, Massachusetts Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 1920 - Manhattan, New York, New York Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 1930 - Darien, Fairfield, Connecticut Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarried - 1945 - , Dade, Florida Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDied - 19 Mar 1947 - Hoboken, Hudson, New Jersey Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Maps 
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Photos
    William Starling Burgess    		William Starling Burgess

  • Sources 
    1. [S139] Burgess Genealogy - Hiam, Katharine W. Hiam, (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997), Lee Drew library., 390 (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S2394] U.S. Passport Applications, 1795 - 1925, United States of America, Department of State, (www.ancestry.com).

      William Starling Burgess born 25 Dec 1878 in Boston, Massachusetts.

    3. [S37609] Massachusetts, Suffolk, Boston - 1880 - Federal Census, Massachusetts, Suffolk, Boston, (www.familysearch.org).

    4. [S42203] Massachusetts, Middlesex, Cambridge - 1900 - Federal Census, Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, (www.ancestry.com).

    5. [S42204] Massachusetts, Essex, Marblehead - 1910 - Federal Census, Marblehead, Essex, Massachusetts, (www.ancestry.com).

    6. [S2394] U.S. Passport Applications, 1795 - 1925, United States of America, Department of State, (www.ancestry.com).

    7. [S4279] New York, New York, Manhattan - 1920 - Federal Census, Manhattan, New York, New York, (www.ancestry.com).

    8. [S42205] Connecticut, Fairfield, Darien - 1930 - Federal Census, Darien, Fairfield, Connecticut, (www.ancestry.com).

    9. [S139] Burgess Genealogy - Hiam, Katharine W. Hiam, (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997), Lee Drew library., 391 (Reliability: 3).

    10. [S139] Burgess Genealogy - Hiam, Katharine W. Hiam, (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997), Lee Drew library., 389 (Reliability: 3).



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