Charles Garland

Endearingly called “Chuck” by his fans and peers, Charles Stedman Garland was a right-handed tennis pro whose mark in tennis history includes being one of the first Americans to win the Wimbledon Doubles in 1920.

Garland was born in October 29, 1898 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the short time that he played professional tennis from 1918 to 1920, He was consistently among the Top Ten players in the world rankings, occupying the no.8 position every single time.

His triumphs include the Doubles Championship at Wimbledon in 1920; as well as the Intercollegiate Singles and Doubles the prior year, 1919.

Garland was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1969 in view of his competence as a player, but most especially for his contribution as a United States Tennis Association (USTA) committee member.

Winning the Wimbledon Doubles was a triumphant move not only for Garland and for his partner, Dick Williams, but also for the American athletes in the 1920s. Finally dominating the top spot in the British championships event, Garland and Williams finally broke the icy record of America not being included in Wimbledon’s triumph list. A Yale man, Garland teamed up with Williams, who was a Harvardian, to beat Algernon Kingscote and James Parke, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2, in that decisive day in 1920.

After tennis, Garland established himself well in the finance world, working for the very first investment bank in the United States, called ‘Alex. Brown & Sons’. He was reputed to be a sharp and keen banker, heading the Investment Bankers’ Association as president before making it as a partner for the company.

Garland died in Baltimore in January 28, 1971.