William Starling Burgess
Encyclopedia
William Starling Burgess (December 25, 1878–1947) was a yacht designer, aviation pioneer, and naval architect.
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 the second fully powered and controlled flight in New England
. The first took place February 28 at Lake Chebacco in Hamilton. In 1911 Burgess built several planes licensed by the Wright Brothers
. Norman Prince
and his friends hired Burgess in 1912 to build a plane for them to race in the Gordon Bennett Cup Race.
Herring left in 1910 and Greely S. Curtis and Frank H. Russell joined Burgess to form the Burgess Company
. In 1914 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.
At some point in this decade, Burgess designed what was almost certainly his most popular boat, the 14-foot "Brutal Beast." Simple enough for inexpensive mass-production, the Beasts became the dominant instructional craft of Marblehead—and other communities—into the forties.
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.
that would become Times New Roman around 1904. This claim is controversial, with the biographer of Stanley Morison
, who is typically considered the co-designer of the typeface along with Victor Lardent
, claiming that the theory is based on a fabrication. In 2009, Parker released Starling, a typeface based upon Burgess' alleged drawings housed at the Smithsonian Institution
.
In 1904 he married Rosamond Tudor (b. 1878), the portrait artist and granddaughter of Frederic Tudor
. Rosamund Burgess was one of the few American amateurs who gained their engineer's license to operate a steam launch, serving the necessary apprenticeship by firing their boat Ox. Tudor and Burgess had three children: sons Edward (1905–1910), who drowned after falling off their boat and Fredrick (b. 1907) and daughter Starling (1915–2008). Starling later became a well known illustrator and children's author under the name of Tasha Tudor.
Burgess married Else Foss in 1925 and had two children, Diana and Ann. He subsequently wed Nannie Dale Biddle in 1933 and Majorie 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."
Biography
William Starling Burgess was born in Boston. He was the son of Edward BurgessEdward Burgess
Edward Burgess was an American yacht designer, born June 30, 1848 in West Sandwich, Massachusetts.Edward is fifth son of Benjamin Franklin Burgess and Cordelia Williams Ellis. The Burgess family were merchants who made their money in the West Indies trade and lost it in 1879...
who died when Starling was 12. Starling attended Milton Academy
Milton Academy
Milton Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered starting in 9th grade...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He was a partner in Burgess & Packard in 1902 with Alpheus Appleton Packard. In 1905 he established a yacht yard in Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,808 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Devereux Beach...
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
Augustus Moore Herring
Augustus Moore Herring was an American aviation pioneer, who flew a compressed-air powered aircraft in 1898, five years before the Wright Brothers made their own powered flight. It has been claimed that he was the first aviator of a motorized heavier-than-air aircraft.-Biography:Herring was born...
who had left Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss was an American aviation pioneer and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle then motorcycle builder and racer, later also manufacturing engines for airships as early as 1906...
to form the Herring-Burgess Company. The Herring-Burgess Co. built the biplane Flying Fish, which flew over Plum Island
Plum Island (Massachusetts)
Plum Island, Massachusetts is an island located off the northeast coast of Massachusetts, north of Cape Ann. It is a barrier island approximately 11 miles in length.-Captain John Smith:...
on April 17, 1910. This was the second fully powered and controlled flight in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. The first took place February 28 at Lake Chebacco in Hamilton. In 1911 Burgess built several planes licensed by the Wright Brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
. Norman Prince
Norman Prince
Norman Prince was a leading founder of France's Lafayette Escadrille with Bill Thaw, Elliott C. Cowdin, Frazier Curtis, and Greeley S. Curtis, Jr....
and his friends hired Burgess in 1912 to build a plane for them to race in the Gordon Bennett Cup Race.
Herring left in 1910 and Greely S. Curtis and Frank H. Russell joined Burgess to form the Burgess Company
Burgess Company
The Burgess Company was a U.S. airplane manufacturer between 1910 and 1918.-History:The business was incorporated in 1910 as the "Burgess Company and Curtis, Inc." . The company was an offshoot of the W. Starling Burgess Shipyard, of Marblehead, Massachusetts.Burgess was the first licensed aircraft...
. In 1914 the Burgess Company
Burgess Company
The Burgess Company was a U.S. airplane manufacturer between 1910 and 1918.-History:The business was incorporated in 1910 as the "Burgess Company and Curtis, Inc." . The company was an offshoot of the W. Starling Burgess Shipyard, of Marblehead, Massachusetts.Burgess was the first licensed aircraft...
built their first hydroplane designed by John William Dunne
John William Dunne
John William Dunne FRAeS was an Anglo-Irish aeronautical engineer and author. In the field of parapsychology, he achieved a preeminence through his theories on dreams and authoring books preoccupied with the question of the nature of time...
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
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
purchased a hydroplane in 1914. Burgess received the 3rd Collier Trophy
Collier Trophy
The Collier Trophy is an annual aviation award administered by the U.S. National Aeronautics Association , presented to those who have made "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space...
to be issued in 1915 for his hydro-aeroplane. With its 800 employees, Burgess Company
Burgess Company
The Burgess Company was a U.S. airplane manufacturer between 1910 and 1918.-History:The business was incorporated in 1910 as the "Burgess Company and Curtis, Inc." . The company was an offshoot of the W. Starling Burgess Shipyard, of Marblehead, Massachusetts.Burgess was the first licensed aircraft...
became the largest employer in Marblehead.
At some point in this decade, Burgess designed what was almost certainly his most popular boat, the 14-foot "Brutal Beast." Simple enough for inexpensive mass-production, the Beasts became the dominant instructional craft of Marblehead—and other communities—into the forties.
When the U.S. entered WWI, the Burgess Company
Burgess Company
The Burgess Company was a U.S. airplane manufacturer between 1910 and 1918.-History:The business was incorporated in 1910 as the "Burgess Company and Curtis, Inc." . The company was an offshoot of the W. Starling Burgess Shipyard, of Marblehead, Massachusetts.Burgess was the first licensed aircraft...
was sold to John N. Willys (who then sold it to Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Hammond Curtiss as president. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States...
). 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
J-class yacht
The J-Class serves as a rating for large sailing yachts designed between 1930 and 1937. Reserved for a wealthy elite of yachtsmen, these boats were used to compete with the best sailing talents in three races of the America's Cup.-The 1930s:...
defenders of the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
: Enterprise in 1930, Rainbow in 1934, and Ranger
Ranger (yacht)
The J-class yacht Ranger successfully defended the 1937 America's Cup, defeating the British challenger Endeavour II 4-0 at Newport, Rhode Island. It was the last time J-class yachts would race for the America's Cup.-Construction:...
in 1937.
In 1922 he and A. Loring Swasey and Frank C. Paine formed the design firm Burgess, Swasey & Paine in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Lewis Francis Herreshoff
Lewis Francis Herreshoff
Lewis Francis Herreshoff , was a boat designer, naval architect, editor and author of books and magazine articles. Early in his career he worked for the Herreshoff Manufacturing and for naval architect Starling Burgess....
worked with them. They designed several yachts, including the Advace for John S. Lawrence, the Gosson for Charles Francis Adams III
Charles Francis Adams III
Charles Francis Adams III was the United States Secretary of the Navy under President Herbert Hoover and a well-known yachtsman.-Life:...
, and the ELLEN for Charles Foster. In 1926 he dissolved Burgess, Swasey & Paine and joined the firm Burgess & Morgan, Ltd in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1930 he was commuting to NYC and living in Darien, Connecticut
Darien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
with his wife Else and 2 children.
Burgess was friends with Buckminster Fuller
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
and was helped him when Fuller was designing and building his aluminum Dymaxion car
Dymaxion car
thumb|The Dymaxion car designed by inventor–architect [[Buckminster Fuller]].The Dymaxion car was a concept car designed by U.S. inventor and architect Buckminster Fuller in 1933. The word Dymaxion is a brand name that Fuller gave to several of his inventions, to emphasize that he considered them...
.
In 1935 he became a consulting naval architect for the Aluminum Company of America with his office at the Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
, where he promoted the use of corrosion resistant alloys for ships. He designed the Alumette which was built at the Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
. He also designed the sailing yacht Ranger
Ranger (yacht)
The J-class yacht Ranger successfully defended the 1937 America's Cup, defeating the British challenger Endeavour II 4-0 at Newport, Rhode Island. It was the last time J-class yachts would race for the America's Cup.-Construction:...
with aluminum masts for Harold Stirling Vanderbilt
Harold Stirling Vanderbilt
Harold Stirling Vanderbilt was an American railroad executive, a champion yachtsman, a champion bridge player and a member of the Vanderbilt family.-Background:...
and he worked closely with Geerd Hendel
Geerd Hendel
Geerd Niels Hendel was a naval architect and native of Germany. He found success in the United States becoming a prominent yacht designer who had a hand in an America's Cup victory in 1937...
.
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
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
on damage control research.
Possible authorship of Times New Roman
Former head of typographic development at Mergenthaler Linotype Mike Parker has argued that Burgess originally drew the typefaceTypeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
that would become Times New Roman around 1904. This claim is controversial, with the biographer of Stanley Morison
Stanley Morison
Stanley Morison was an English typographer, designer and historian of printing.Born in Wanstead, Essex, Morison spent most of his childhood and early adult years at the family home in Fairfax Road, Harringay...
, who is typically considered the co-designer of the typeface along with Victor Lardent
Victor Lardent
Victor Lardent , was a British advertising designer and draftsman at The Times, London. He created the font Times New Roman under the direction of Stanley Morison in 1932.-References :...
, claiming that the theory is based on a fabrication. In 2009, Parker released Starling, a typeface based upon Burgess' alleged drawings housed at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
.
Marriages
Burgess married five 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
Frederic Tudor
Frederic Tudor was known as Boston's "Ice King", and was the founder of the Tudor Ice Company. During the early 19th Century, he made a fortune shipping ice to the Caribbean, Europe, and even as far away as India from sources of fresh water ice in New England.The Tudor Ice Company harvested ice in...
. Rosamund Burgess was one of the few American amateurs who gained their engineer's license to operate a steam launch, serving the necessary apprenticeship by firing their boat Ox. Tudor and Burgess had three children: sons Edward (1905–1910), who drowned after falling off their boat and Fredrick (b. 1907) and daughter Starling (1915–2008). Starling later became a well known illustrator and children's author under the name of Tasha Tudor.
Burgess married Else Foss in 1925 and had two children, Diana and Ann. He subsequently wed Nannie Dale Biddle in 1933 and Majorie 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."
External links
- W.Starling Burgess Papers, at Mystic Seaport.
- Burgess and Buckminister Fuller.
- Anitra Designer.
- Boston's Gold Coast by Joseph E. Garland, published 1981, pages 217-218.
- Burgess Genealogy: Descendants of the Four Sons of Thomas Burgess, by Katharine W. Hiam, published 1997.
- The Art of Tasha Tudor by Harry Davis, published 2000.
- Tasha Tudor ancestry.
- Boston Globe article on the 100th anniversary of the first flight of the Flying Fish