Moritz Freiherr von Bissing (tennis)

Moritz Freiherr von Bissing had an international tennis career, winning first prize in 141 out of 157 tournaments. In 1908, he represented the German Empire at the Olympic Games in London, in 1910, he played in Sydney, Australia, and in 1913 he won the World Championship in doubles in Paris alongside Heinrich Kleinschroth. Heinrich's brother, Robert Kleinschroth, also competed on the amateur tour, reaching the semi-finals of the World Hard Court Championships in 1912.

Alexander Moritz Reinhold Freiherr von Bissing (b. 9 September 1886 in Metz, Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire; d. 18 March 1954 in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, West Germany) was a German officer as well as tennis, football, rugby, field hockey and golf player. In international circles, because of his German origin, he received the nickname "Fritz". He must not be confused with Generaloberst Moritz Freiherr von Bissing.

Life

Genealogy

Moritz was born in Metz where his father, an officer of the Prussian Army, was serving. Later, the family relocated to Frankfurt am Main. After attending school and an apprenticeship, Freiherr von Bissing became a clerk with the Deutsche Bank. At the time, he was already an active athlete. His sporting career began in 1899 on the new tennis courts of the Frankfurt Palmengarten.

He began his compulsory military service with the Guard Dragoon Regiment (1st Grand Ducal Hessian) No. 23, where he later became a 2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves. In the military he met future art historian Adolf Wilhelm August Merton, who was the same age as him; they became close friends, and later he would marry Merton's younger sister. 2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves Merton, serving with the Magdeburg Dragoon Regiment No. 6, was killed in action on 30 October 1914 in Le Quesnoy.

In WWI, Freiherr von Bissing was reactivated with his regiment and served with the 2nd Squadron. In September 1914, he was wounded, in 1915, he was transferred to the High Command of the 10th Army where, on 2 December 1915, he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant of the Reserves. In c. 1916, he was transferred to the General Command of the 14th Reserve Corps, in 1917, he was transferred to the Fliegertruppe as an aerial observer.

Tennis tournaments (chronologically descending)

• Prussian Championships - 1924
• Championships of Berlin - 1924
• Swiss International Covered Courts - 1924
• Championships of Frankfurt am Main - 1924
• Blau-Weiss Club - 1924
• Heilbronn - 1922
• Frankfurt Closed Championships - 1922
• Netherlands International Championships - 1921
• Prussian Championships - 1921
• Championships of Berlin - 1921
• Wiesbaden Cup - 1921
• Wiesbaden Championships - 1921
• Bad Kissingen - 1921
• Netherlands International Championships - 1920
• Baden-Baden - 1920
• Noordwijk - 1920
• Netherlands International Championships - 1919
• Baden-Baden - 1919
• Wiesbaden Championships - 1919
• World Hardcourt Championships - 1914
• Wien (Vienna) - 1914
• Bavarian International Championships - 1914
• Championships of Alsace-Lorraine - 1914
• Championships of Southern Germany - 1914
• Swiss International Championships - 1913
• World Hardcourt Championships - 1913
• Homburg Cup - 1913
• Oostende - 1913
• Aix-Les-Bains - 1913
• Luzern - 1913
• Wiesbaden Championships - 1913
• Championships of Mannheim - 1913
• Wimbledon - 1912
• Wiesbaden Cup - 1912
• Homburg Cup - 1912
• Wiesbaden Championships - 1912
• Trouville - 1912
• Darmstadt - 1912
• Hesse Cup - 1912
• Wiesbaden Cup - 1911
• Championships of Bremen - 1911
• Championships of Thüringen - 1911
• Darmstadt - 1911
• Hesse Cup - 1911
• New South Wales Championships - 1910
• Geelong Easter Tournament - 1910
• Wimbledon - 1909
• Queens Club Tournament - 1909
• Prussian Championships - 1909
• Championships of Berlin - 1909
• Wiesbaden Cup - 1909
• Gipsy - 1909
• Homburg Cup - 1909
• Wiesbaden Championships - 1909
• Wimbledon Plate (Consolation) - 1909
• Düsseldorf International - 1909
• Sheffield - 1909
• Köln International - 1909
• Sopot - 1909
• Championships of Thüringen - 1909
• Southfields (Wilderness) - 1909
• City of Danzig Championships - 1909
• Championships of Cranz - 1909
• Championships of the North Germans - 1909
• Wimbledon - 1908
• Olympics, Olympic Games - 1908
• Prussian Championships - 1908
• Championships of Berlin - 1908
• Wiesbaden Cup - 1908
• Mid-Kent Championships - 1908
• Midland Counties Championships - 1908
• Nottingham - 1908
• Homburg Cup - 1908
• Wiesbaden Championships - 1908
• Wimbledon Plate (Consolation) - 1908
• Warwickshire Championships - 1908
• Championships of Frankfurt am Main - 1908
• Hanover International - 1908
• Championships of Breslau - 1908
• Championships of Silesia - 1908
• Championships of the North Germans - 1908
• Frankfurt Wanderpreis - 1908
• German International Championships - 1907
• Wiesbaden Cup - 1907
• Sussex Championships - 1907
• Championships of Hamburg - 1907
• Wiesbaden Championships - 1907
• Pöseldorf Prize - 1907
• Chichester - 1907
• Homburg Cup - 1906
• Heiligendammer Cup - 1906
• Championships of Frankfurt am Main - 1906
• Championships of Alsace-Lorraine - 1906
• Championships of Mannheim - 1906
• Baden Championships - 1906
• Championships of Southern Germany - 1906
• Pfalz Mannheim - 1906
  • Frankfurt Wanderpreis - 1906
• Austrian International Championships - 1905
• Wiesbaden Cup - 1905
• European Championship - 1905
• Homburg Cup - 1905
• Wiesbaden Championships - 1905
• Heiligendammer Cup - 1905
• Homburg Cup - 1904
• Wiesbaden Championships - 1904

Tournament wins (excerpt)

• 1919 - Wiesbaden Championships (Amateur)
• 1914 - Bavarian International Championships
  • ATP World Tour 250 series
• 1914 - Championships of Southern Germany (Amateur)
• 1914 - Championships of Alsace-Lorraine (Amateur)
• 1913 - Championships of Mannheim (Amateur)
• 1912 - Hesse Cup (Amateur)
• 1912 - Darmstadt (Amateur)
• 1909 - Düsseldorf International (Amateur)

Football Club Frankfurt

In 1880, the "Football Club Frankfurt" was founded through the merger of the two rugby teams Germania and Franconia Frankfurt; this club dissolved later in the 1880s. It was re-established in March 1891 under the leadership of the sports figure Herrmann Stasny. The only sport played at that time was still called rugby football (in contrast to association football, which later became football). As part of the 1900 Olympic Games and World's Fair in Paris, a rugby match against France was played for the first time. On 14 October 1900, FC Frankfurt, representing Germany, played against a French team at the Vélodrome de Vincennes. The match ended 27-17 in favor of France. Hockey has been one of the club's sports since 1902. The first recorded hockey match involving the club took place in 1905.

Freiherr von Bissing didn't play tennis at the Football Club Frankfurt, but through his friend Oskar Kreuzer, he already had a connection to the club. As the only German on an English team, he participated in the Football Club Frankfurt's first hockey match. This laid the foundation for the inclusion of field hockey in the club's program. His foresight in promoting hockey is evidenced by the fact that the Silver Shield – the most coveted hockey challenge trophy of the coming decades – was established at his instigation (and donated by his mother). In 1918, Moritz Freiherr von Bissing took over as chairman of the club. Under his leadership, tennis was integrated into the club as a separate department, and the name was changed to "Sportclub Frankfurt 1880" (SC Frankfurt 1880). The club's development during the "Golden Twenties" is closely linked to his name, as he remained chairman until 1933. Another brother-in-law, metal entrepreneur Alfred Emil Ralph Merton (1878–1954), introduced him to the prestigious Frankfurt Golf Club (FGC) and fostered his love for the sport. Merton was chairman of the club from 1932 to 1933.

The Silver Shield of 1907

Hockey, originating in England, gained a foothold in several German cities between 1900 and 1901. Since players from the various clubs had to cover their own travel expenses for away games, competitions were mostly held within a narrow, regional framework. This meant that teams repeatedly faced the same opponents. Therefore, Moritz Freiherr von Bissing made it his goal to break down the limited geographical boundaries of hockey. By establishing a special prize, he created an incentive for interregional matches. The Silver Shield, a challenge trophy for all German hockey clubs, was first successfully defended by the Frankfurt Football Club in 1907. In subsequent years, clubs from Dresden and Hamburg also won the trophy. This marked the beginning of a development for hockey in Germany that required a national organization. Thus, on 31 December 1909, the German Hockey Federation (Deutscher Hockey-Bund) was founded. From 1913 onwards, the Silver Shield was no longer contested at the club level, but at the federation level, and was therefore transferred to the German Hockey Federation. The Silver Shield tournaments became a firmly established event in the following decades, ensuring both lasting popularity and press attention for hockey. Winning the Silver Shield, the oldest sports trophy awarded in Germany, became the highest achievement in hockey. The last victory plaque affixed to the winner's shield identifies West Germany as the winner in 1986. After that, it disappeared, but was later located and returned to the SC Frankfurt 1880, the founding club, at the members' meeting on 28 May 2001.

Post-WWII

After World War II, he again would become chairman of the SC Frankfurt 1880 from 1947 to 1953. He was also president of the German Golf Association (DGV) from 1949 to 1951. With the release of Friedrichshof Castle, an imperial castle in Kronberg (Taunus), in 1952, which had been occupied by the Americans since 1945, its owner, Wolfgang Prince of Hesse, to whose Hessian line the castle had passed, began converting it into a hotel. At the suggestion of hotelier Richard Pertram and based on designs by golf instructor Ernst Kothe, a 9-hole golf course was laid out in the castle park in 1953. After the owner consulted with Werner Reimers and Ernst Kothe, the founding of a golf club was decided upon the following year. Thus, on 6 January 1954, the founding members Wolfgang Prince of Hesse, Moritz Freiherr von Bissing, Franz Gömöri, Hans Heinrich Hauck, Georg von Opel, Richard Pertram, Werner Reimers, Peter Skeffington, Erich Vierhub, and Gerhard Alois Westrick gathered at the Hessischer Hof hotel in Frankfurt am Main for the official founding of the Kronberg Golf and Country Club. The pitch was playable from spring 1954 onwards, but unfortunately Moritz Freiherr von Bissing would not live to see it.

Family

Moritz was the son of Major General August Friedrich Sigismund Freiherr von Bissing (1842–1918) and his wife (∞ Darmstadt 3 July 1873) Adele Charlotte Robertine, née Freiin van der Capellen van Berkenwoude (1850–1919). He had two older brothers, both would become officers and veterans of WWI. On 1 June 1912 in Frankfurt am Main, Moritz Freiherr von Bissing married his Protestant fiancée Eugenie Amalie Essie Gertrud "Gerta" Merton (1894–1968), daughter of prominent and influential German Jewish entrepreneur and philanthropist Wilhelm Ralph Merton (1848–1916) and his wife (∞ Bornheim 1877) Henriette Caroline Emma, née Ladenburg (1859–1939). They would have three children:

• August-Wilhelm Walter Moritz (b. 28 November 1915 in Frankfurt am Main), 2nd Lieutenant of the Wehrmacht, ⚔ on 14 April 1943, he rests in the German War Cemetery in Maleme (Crete); final resting place: Block 1, Grave 108.
• Moritz Alexander Gotthard Wulf (b. 27 August 1917 in Frankfurt am Main; d. 11 August 1975 in New Jersey)
• Rosemarie Clotilde Olga Senta (b. 11 June 1919 in Frankfurt am Main; d. 12 June 1979 in New York)