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General First nameReginald Storum (Reggie)
LastnameWeir
GenderMale
CountryUnited States of America
Date of birth1911-09-30
Place of birthWashington DC, United States of America
Date of death1987-08-22
Place of deathFair Lawn, NJ, United States of America


About

Reginald Weir attended the City College of New York (CCNY), where he captained the men’s tennis team. After graduating from CCNY in 1931, he was American Tennis Association (ATA) singles champion in 1931, 1932, 1933, 1937, and 1942. Weir was also a graduate of the medical school of New York University. He practiced family medicine from 1935 to 1985.

In 1929, with the support of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), Reginald Weir and a partner tried to take part in an indoor tournament sponsored by the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA), which at that time barred black players from taking part in its tournaments. Once the organisers learned that Weir and his partner were black, they were prohibited from taking part.

However, nineteen years later, in March 1948, Reginald Weir successfully gained entrance to the National Indoor Championship tournament, which was held at the Seventh Regiment Armory in New York. In the first round of the men’s singles event he defeated his compatriot Thomas Lewyn, 6-4, 6-2, but was beaten in the second round by the eventual champion, William Talbert, 6-1, 6-1. However, Weir had created history by becoming the first black man to take part in a USLTA tournament.

Weir’s participation in the U.S. National Indoor Championships tournament in 1948 was the result of several years of lobbying by the American Tennis Association, the governing body for tournaments in which black players took part. Weir’s success paved the way for Althea Gibson to be able to take part in the U.S. National Indoor Championships tournament one year later, in 1949, when she advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s singles event before losing to her compatriot Nancy Chafee.

Dr Reginald Weir died in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, in August 1987 at the age of 75.

Media


Archive statistics Career1931 - 1973
Tournament wins6
Matches116
Match wins47


Tournament wins 1953 - Metropolitan Indoors (Amateur)
1942 - American Tennis Association Championships (Open)
1937 - American Tennis Association Championships (Open)
1933 - American Tennis Association Championships (Open)
1932 - American Tennis Association Championships (Open)
1931 - American Tennis Association Championships (Open)


Tournaments Eastern Indoors - 1973 Eastern Indoors - 1972 Long Island Championships - 1971 Eastern Clay Court Championships - 1970 Long Island Championships - 1970 New Jersey State Indoors - 1970 New York State Championships - 1968 Eastern Indoors - 1968 Westchester - 1968 Long Island Championships - 1968 Eastern Indoors b - 1967 Westchester - 1966 Empire State Indoors - 1966 New Jersey State Championships - 1965 Brooklyn - 1965 Eastern Indoors - 1965 Westchester - 1965 Nyack Field Club Invitation - 1965 Eastern Clay Court Championships - 1964 Eastern Indoors - 1964 New Jersey State Championships - 1963 Westchester - 1963 Nyack Field Club Invitation - 1963 Eastern Clay Court Championships - 1962 Brooklyn - 1962 New York State Championships - 1962 New Jersey State Championships - 1961 Brooklyn - 1961 New Jersey State Championships - 1960 Brooklyn - 1960 New York State Championships - 1960 Seventh Regiment Tennis Club Holiday Invitaion - 1960 Brooklyn - 1959 New York State Championships - 1959 Eastern Clay Court Championships - 1958 Brooklyn - 1958 Bergen County - 1958 Metropolitan Indoors - 1958 Eastern Clay Court Championships - 1957 New York State Championships - 1957 Brooklyn Indoor - 1957 Metropolitan Indoors - 1957 New Jersey State Championships - 1956 New York State Championships - 1956 Bergen County - 1956 New York Indoor - 1956 Inter-American - 1956 New Jersey State Championships - 1955 New York State Championships - 1955 Bergen County - 1955 Perth Amboy Invitation - 1955 Eastern Clay Court Championships - 1954 US International Indoor Championships - 1954 Brooklyn - 1954 Bergen County - 1954 Perth Amboy Invitation - 1954 Brooklyn Indoor - 1954 US International Indoor Championships - 1953 Brooklyn - 1953 Metropolitan Indoors - 1953 US Open - 1952 US International Indoor Championships - 1950 Eastern Indoors - 1950 US International Indoor Championships - 1949 US International Indoor Championships - 1948 American Tennis Association Championships - 1945 American Tennis Association Championships - 1944 American Tennis Association Championships - 1942 American Tennis Association Championships - 1941 American Tennis Association Championships - 1940 American Tennis Association Championships - 1939 American Tennis Association Championships - 1937 American Tennis Association Championships - 1933 American Tennis Association Championships - 1932 American Tennis Association Championships - 1931