Hilliard Mixed Pairs Explained

The Hilliard Mixed Pairs national bridge championship was last held at the spring American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC).

History

This was the original national mixed pairs event. It was contested at the summer NABC the first two years. It moved to the fall NABC in 1933 until it was replaced by the Rockwell Mixed Pairs in 1946. However, it continued to be contested at Bridge Week until 1957. It was contested at the newly created Spring NABC from 1958 to 1962.

Winners

When this was the premier event for mixed pairs, before 1946, no pair defended its title successfully, or even won the trophy twice. Only a few players won it twice. Two pairs did win the Hilliard trophy more than once after it was downgraded in status: Kay and James Dunn, three times, Helen and Morris Portugal twice, all during the five-year span 1951 to 1955. Mary Jane and Arnold Kauder won in 1949 and finished second in 1950 and 1957. Married couples did not generally dominate the event, however.

All listings are "ladies first".

Hilliard Mixed Pairs, 1931 to 1962
Year Winners Runners-up
 1931  Mrs. Jay S. Jones Jr., Lewis R. Ayres Elinor Murdoch, Oswald Jacoby
1932 Mrs. Evelyn C. Kaiser, B. Jay Becker
1933 Margaret Wagar, Fred Levy Helen White, J. C. McClelland
1934   Mrs. Theodore Greenbaum, Richard Kahn   Sally Young, Charles Goren
1935 Hortense Evans, Louis J. Haddad Florence Stratford, Maury J. Glick
1936 Mrs. D. M. Healy, Wingate Bixby Mrs. L. Heiner, Arthur Glatt
1937 Mrs. H. E. Latter, Jesse Slutt
1938 Mrs. Sam Rush, Fred Kaplan Lottie Zetosch, Robert Appleyard
1939 Florence Stratford, Lewis H. Fremont Louise Wainwright, Oswald Jacoby
1940 Helen Sobel, Robert A. McPherran
1941 Ann Bryant, Harry Feinberg
1942 Olive Peterson, John R. Crawford
1943 Peggy Golder, Charles J. Solomon
1944 Josephine Gutman, Peter Leventritt
1945 Marjorie Perlmutter, Irving Deuter
After 1945 this Hilliard Trophy event was replaced as North American mixed pairs championship by the Rockwell Mixed Pairs.
1946   Mrs. Norman Perlstein, Norman Perlstein  
1947 Helen Cale, Jack Ehrlenbach
1948 Verna Leonard, E. Miller Harriet Rethers, Dan Westerfield
1949 Mary Jane Kauder, Arnold Kauder Mrs. H. J. Murphy, H. J. Murphy
1950 Venita Street, Robert Street Mary Jane Kauder, Arnold Kauder
1951 Helen Portugal, Morris Portugal Allyn G. Whitehead, Dan Westerfield
1952 Kay Dunn, James Dunn Malvine Klausner, Edward Frischauer
1953 Helen Portugal, Morris Portugal Mrs. Harry Bierman, Harry Bierman
1954 Kay Dunn, James Dunn Mrs. M. Lorber, E. Hatcher
1955 Kay Dunn, James Dunn Hortense Evans, Barry Crane
1956 Ruth Million, John Hancock Jan Stone, Tobias Stone
1957 Marilyn Johnson, Bob Adams Mary Jane Kauder, Arnold Kauder
After 1957 the Hilliard Trophy event was restored to North American championship status, but secondary to the Rockwell.
1958 Jane Clunie, Dr. William A. Clunie
1959 2/3. Eugenie Mathe, Lew Mathe
2/3. Clara Watanabe, Ivan Erdos
1960 Shirlee Harris, Ed Rosen Mrs. Benton Brandon, John E. Simon
1961 Hermine Baron, Robert F. Jordan
1962 1/2. Shirlee Harris, Ed Rosen
1/2. Jesse Cook, Grant Marsee

See also

Sources