Page 160 - Cousins - Celebrities, Saints & Sinners

Jack Dempsey

10th Cousin

2 Times Removed

Common Ancestor

Father: William Warner
Hoe, Norfolk, England Born: Died:
1540 - 1611 24 June 1895 31 May 1983
Manassa, Colorado New York City, New York
Mother: Mary Ann Hunt William Harrison "Jack", nicknamed Kid Blackie, and The
Norwich, Norfolk, England Manassa Mauler, was an Irish, Native-
1542- 1616 American professional boxer who competed from 1914

to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion
from 1919 to 1926. A cultural icon of the
1920s, Dempsey's aggressive fighting style and
exceptional punching power made him one of the most
popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial
and attendance records, including the first million-
dollar gate, and pioneered the live broadcast of sporting
events in general, and boxing matches in particular.

Dempsey is ranked tenth on The Ring magazine's list of
all-time heavyweights and seventh among its Top 100
Greatest Punchers, while in 1950 the Associated
Press voted him as the greatest fighter of the past 50
years. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of
Fame.
Dempsey grew up in a poor family in Colorado, West
Virginia, and Utah. The son of Mary Celia (née Smoot)
and Hiram Dempsey, his family's lineage consisted
of Irish and Cherokee ancestry. Because his father had
difficulty finding work, the family traveled often, and
Dempsey dropped out of elementary school to work and

left home at the age of 16. Due to his lack of money, he frequently traveled underneath trains and slept
in hobo camps. Desperate for money, Dempsey would occasionally visit saloons and challenge for fights,
saying "I can't sing and I can't dance, but I can lick any SOB in the house." If anyone accepted the
challenge, bets would be made. According to Dempsey's autobiography, he rarely lost these barroom
brawls.

Among his opponents as a rising contender were Fireman Jim Flynn, the only boxer ever to beat Dempsey by
a knockout when Dempsey lost to him in the first round (although some boxing historians believe the fight
was a "fix"), and Gunboat Smith, formerly a highly ranked contender who had beaten both World
Champion Jess Willard and Hall of Famer Sam Langford. Dempsey beat Smith for the third time on a second-
round knockout.

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