Jan-24-17
 | | MissScarlett: Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 26th, 1905, p.20: <SUICIDE HIS ONLY MEANS OF PROVIDING FOR FAMILY [...]The suicide of former Assistant Corporation Counsel Rollin A. Breckinridge just before his life insurance premiums fell due had led to the belief that the young lawyer deliberately killed himself that his wife and children might have the insurance money. His wife has been paid $3000 by the New York Life Insurance Company, but it is not certain that this represented all the insurance held by Breckinridge. [...]
"I'm not good for anything," he said to his friends. They tried to cheer him up, but he had become convinced that he would never amount to anything in life. His best friend, Henry M. Dater, was with him the morning of his death. Dater tried to make him take a more cheerful view of life and he left him thinking that Breckinridge was in a more optimistic frame of mind. Dater had hardly left the house when Breckinridge stepped into the bathroom and put a bullet through his heart. [...]
Mr. Breckinridge was in the Corporation's Counsel office in Brooklyn for several years. Being a Republican in politics, he was not kept in office after the present administration took charge. In all the years he held a city position he saved no money and did not build up a law practice. When out of a city job, he did not feel like taking an inferior position in a law office, but tried to build up a practice of his own. In this he was far from successful. Mr. Breckinridge was a chess player of remarkable ability. He was a member of the Queens County Chess Club and spent a great deal of time at this fascinating game.> |
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Oct-24-23
 | | jnpope: Breck<i>nridge is used in the filing of probate paperwork on October 24, 1905 (over a month after his death) but his son's birth certificate gives Breck<e>nridge. Trinity college gives "R. A. Breckenridge." New York Supreme Court appeal records give him as "Rollin A. Breckenridge". His Brooklyn law firm was "Elliott, Jones, Breckenridge & Dater". His photograph in the Eagle (attached to the bio now) has Breckenridge. His obit in the New York <Sun> used Breckenridge. Based on the preponderance of usage, I've changed his last name from Breckinridge to Breckenridge. |
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| Oct-24-23 | | stone free or die: I like to adhere to the chess literature as much as possible for determining the "preponderance" of the data. Of course the bio can include the deep research, and certainly should note alternative names (or spellings) in the chess literature. Here, a quick google search shows the Lasker's esteemed <Chess> magazine using both forms of the name at different times, but used <Breck<e>nridge> in his obit: https://books.google.com/books?id=g... He's noted as a member of the Queen's County CC, as well as being a former member of the Brooklyn CC. Interesting, the Brooklyn CC connection leads to Duval's <BrCC Chronicles> article on him: <"Grave Lawyer Breckinridge's cloth smile
A sweetly void of craft or guile">
https://books.google.com/books?id=0... You would think the CC mention would have his name right, but maybe not - they couldn't even pin down his smile! . |
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Oct-24-23
| | jnpope: <stone free or die: I like to adhere to the chess literature as much as possible for determining the "preponderance" of the data.> Me too, so I checked all of his listed games here at CG:
(6) Breckenridge:
http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...
http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...
http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...
http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...
http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...
http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...
(2) Split 50/50
Breckenridge in the intro text, Breckinridge in the gamescore:
http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...
Breckenridge in the obit text, Breckinridge in the gamescore:
https://books.google.com/books?id=g...
(1) Breckinridge:
http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...
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Oct-24-23
| | MissScarlett: Findagrave has <Breckinridge> but no photograph of any headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial... |
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| Oct-24-23 | | stone free or die: If one clicks on the photo from find-a-grave the text page seems to consistently refer to <Breck<e>nridge>. . |
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Oct-24-23
| | jnpope: I added the extant games from the Elwell - Breckenridge match (and dropped an xtab and intro text). I looks like the <Brooklyn Daily Eagle> switched from using Breckenridge to Breckinridge mid-match, whereas the Brooklyn <Daily Standard-Union> used Breckenridge consistently. |
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| Oct-25-23 | | savagerules: Too bad what became of this guy. I bet he had no idea that 118 years later people would be reading about him on little glass boxes. $3,000 back then is equal to more than $100,000 today. So at least the widow was set for a while. Just think, if you had only $30,000 savings now and time machined back to 1905 you would be a millionaire there. |
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| Oct-25-23 | | stone free or die: I was reading in an obit that his depression had prevented him working for a full year before his suicide. Unfortunately the library cut the session short before I could save it, so I can't cite the source. . |
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Kibitzing
