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