John J. Mitchell Trophy

John J. Mitchell, a prominent Chicagoan and president of the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank, donated this silver loving cup to the Lake Geneva Yacht Club in 1906 for competition in 32-foot Class B boats that “were owned and sailed on Lake Geneva.” The LGYC fleet in 1906 was 13 boats strong–more than any other class at the Yacht Club that year. John Mitchell did not own a Class B, but starting in 1909 he raced his C-Scow Peteral and by 1912, his C called Billy G. In the deed of gift for the trophy, Mr. Mitchell states that it is to be held in perpetuity by the trustees of the Yacht Club, who may change the type of boat “whenever, in their unanimous opinion, it is desirable to do so.” It became desirable by 1913, when the Class B fleet “was given up,” and the trustees transferred the trophy for 1914 competition to Class C, where it remains today. The Mitchells owned the steam yacht Louise (named for Mrs. Mitchell), which they had had built in 1902, and the 30-foot naphtha launch Gwendolyn (named for their daughter). At Lake Geneva, they lived at Ceylon Court, a reproduction of a Sinhalese Buddhist temple that had been the Ceylon government’s exhibit at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. Mr. Mitchell served as a trustee of the Yacht Club in 1912 and 1913.

1906 Fred Clifford
1907 Frederick G. Wacker
1908 Harold Hough
1909 Harold Hough
1910 James Rawleigh
1911 James Rawleigh
1912 Byron Boyden
1913 No race
1914 C. Wallace Johnson
1915 Ernst C. Schmidt
1916 Ernst C. Schmidt
1917 No race
1918 No race
1919 No race
1920 Walter Colman
1921 Porter brothers
1922 Walter Colman
1923 Owen Mogg
1924 Owen Mogg
1925 Walter Colman
1926 Perrigo brothers
1927 Leroy A. Smith
1928 Leonard Ellwood
1929 Patty Ellwood
1930 Bruce P. Adams
1931 Leonard Ellwood
1932 Ernst C. Schmidt
1933 No race
1934 John R. Reilly
1935 Gloria Gartz
1936 Clarence W. Sills Jr.
1937 S. Austin Pope
1938 Harold Nystrom
1939 Robert C. Edwards
1940 Robert C. Edwards
1941 Edson and Clayton R. Gaylord
1942 Barbara Wakeley
1943 Angeline and Joan Johnson/Angeline Johnson skipper
1944 Tony Zulfer
1945 Betty Lou and Barbara Schultz/Betty Lou Schultz, skipper
1946 No race
1947 Carlson brothers
1948 Buddy Melges
1949 Cuppy Goes
1950 Bruce E. Johnson
1951 Bill Freytag
1952 Jane Wiswell
1953 Cuppy Goes
1954 Buddy Melges
1955 Jane Wiswell Pegel
1956 Barbara and Jean Lau/Barbara Lau, skipper
1957 Buddy Melges
1958 Bud Wallen and Walter Larkin/Bud Wallen, skipper
1959 Chuck and John Anderson/Chuck Anderson, skipper
1960 Peter Freytag
1961 No race
1962 No race
1963 No race
1964 Cuppy Goes
1965 Richard Swanson
1966 Cuppy Goes
1967 Cuppy Goes
1968 Cuppy Goes
1969 Buddy Melges
1970 Cuppy Goes
1971 Cuppy Goes
1972 Cuppy Goes
1973 Cuppy Goes
1974 Robert Pegel/Jim Smith, skipper
1975 Cuppy Goes
1976 Cuppy Goes
1977 Cuppy Goes
1978 Bill Allen
1979 Cuppy Goes
1980 Cuppy Goes
1981 Bob Novak
1982 Cuppy Goes
1983 Art Larson
1984 Tom Schmidt
1985 Harry Melges III
1986 Art Larson
1987 Art Larson
1988 George Beukema
1989 John Porter
1990 John Porter
1991 Bob Harring/Jim Smith, skipper
1992 John Porter
1993 John Porter
1994 John Porter
1995 John Galley and George Beukema
1996 Mike Lynch
1997 Jim Smith
1998 Scott Ripkey
1999 Charlie Harrett
2000 Mike Lynch
2001 Erick Youngquist
2002 No race
2003 Tom Pomierski
2004 Art Larson
2005 Jeff Doubek
2006 Art Larson
2007 Jeff Doubek
2008 Terry Blanchard
2009 Jim Petersen
2010 William Barrett
2011 Ron Bjurstrom/Jim Smith, skipper
2012 Erick Youngquist
2013 No Race
2014 Will Huerth
2015 No Race
2016 Jim Smith
2017 No Race
2018 Jim Petersen
2019 John DeCarlo
2020 Charles & Gordon Lamphere
2021 No Race
2022 Marek Valasek
2023 No Race
2024 No Race