Philip Sears Explained

Philip Sears
Fullname:Philip Shelton Sears
Birth Date:November 12, 1867
Birth Place:Massachusetts, U.S.
Death Place:Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
Turnedpro:1884 (amateur tour)
Retired:1892
Plays:Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Usopenresult:SF (1888)

Philip Shelton Sears (November 12, 1867 – March 10, 1953) was an American tennis player and sculptor.

Early life

He was the son of Frederic Richard Sears and Albertina Homer Shelton. His twin brother was Herbert M. Sears, and older brother Richard Sears, was also a tennis player, and won the US Open singles in its first seven years, from 1881 to 1887, and the doubles for six years from 1882 to 1887, after which he retired from tennis. He won the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship in 1887 and 1888 while at Harvard University. He would later graduate from Harvard Law School in 1892.[1]

Tennis career

Sears reached the semifinals of the U.S. National Championships in 1888, and the quarterfinals in 1887. He won the Intercollegiate Championships in 1887 and finished runner-up to Edward L. Hall at the Longwood Tournament in 1891.

Sculptor

He was active as a sculptor in Boston.[2] His work was part of the art competitions at the 1928 Summer Olympics and the 1932 Summer Olympics.[3]

In 2007, the original statue from which the one at Fruitlands Museum was used to create its current life-sized Pumanangwet (He Who Shoots the Stars), sold for $11,250 at Christie's in Beverly Hills;[4] the life-size version, placed in the 1920s and pictured, left, is located at the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA.

Personal life

His son Mason Sears (1899-1973) was a member of the Massachusetts General Court and the chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Harvard College Class of 1889 Secretary's Report. 1909.
  2. Web site: Philip Shelton Sears papers, 1930-1946. Archives of American Art. 24 November 2015.
  3. Web site: Philip Sears . Olympedia . 29 July 2020.
  4. Web site: Philip Shelton Sears (1867-1953) Pumanangwet (He Who Shoots the Stars). Christie's. 24 November 2015.