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1949 BILL TILDEN Famous American Tennis Player, Great Autograph Letter Signed

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:400.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 700.00 USD
1949 BILL TILDEN Famous American Tennis Player, Great Autograph Letter Signed
Autographs
Bill Tilden Incarcerated Following the Action at Wimbledon
BILL TILDEN (William Tatem Tilden II, 1893-1953). Famous American Tennis Player.
June 23, 1949-Postmarked, Autograph Letter Signed, "Bill", Handwritten in Pencil, 2 pages, on blue-lined stationery, 5” x 8”, no place or date (except "Wed"), Choice Extremely Fine. With its Transmittal Envelope, containing Tilden's bold signature as the return address - "W. T. Tilden, Barracks 19, Route 3, Box 999, Saugus, Cal" - postmarked June 23, 1949. Addressed in Tilden's hand to: "Mrs. Merrion Anderson, 5987 Franklyn Ave., Cheremoya Apts, Hollywood, Calif." This Letter reads, in full:

"Dear Merrion & Brett, -- Your letter just arrived and I was so glad to get it. I'm so pleased to know Babe has his car & can get around & I have such faith in him that I know he won't take chances or drive fast. The tennis picture is still quiet. I note that Mr. Brink, that great player went out to Glen Bassett who hit a ball in court. The pro tournament is going its regular way. I noted Bob Rogers got well crowned. Wimbledon produced nothing of interest except Gussie's close one. She may get crowned anytime. Did you notice that Gloria lost in the first round as usual."

"I am fine & looking forward to seeing you both Sunday. I'm anxious to see how Brett has found hitting. He sounded as if he were playing well in his note. I am anxious to hear about his score with Noel at La Cienega. I'll be looking for Callahan on Saturday. Take care of yourselves & remember I love you very much. See you Sunday. -- As Ever Your Bill."
In 1950, Tilden was named by sports writers as the greatest tennis player of the first half of the century. He won his first U.S. national titles in doubles matches when he teamed up with Mary K. Browne (1913) and Vincent Richards (1918). Thereafter, he won the doubles title four times (1921-13; 1927) and the singles title six times (1921-25: 1929). Tilden, who was known for his big serve and consistent baseline play, anchored the U.S. Davis Cup team for eleven years (1920-30); he also won three British singles titles at Wimbledon (1920-21; 1930). Tilden turned professional in 1931 and for the next 20 years competed on the pro tour.

During the 1920s, Tilden captured the popular imagination like few other sports stars (with the exception of Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Red Grange and a few others). Due to his fame, he amassed a considerable fortune, which allowed him to live lavishly. However, some facets of his personal life, in particular his homosexuality, brought him complications later in his life. During the height of his career, tennis officials had kept the fact secret, but later, as he grew older, he became less discreet and the news leaked to the public. By the 1940s, he was almost broke, and moved to Hollywood to find work as a tennis instructor.

Tilden spent much of the 1940s in comparative obscurity, though he would occasionally surface to play some younger former champion. Then, on November 11, 1946, came his arrest for contributing to the delinquency of a minor [his zigzagging car was stopped by police who found Tilden with his arm around a 14-year-old boy named Bobbie - the boy's fly open when he stepped out of the car]; Tilden was convicted, sentenced and served seven and one-half months at a minimum security prison farm. The terms of his probation were that he was not to be alone with minors. He was again arrested in January of 1949 on charges of improper conduct with a teenaged hitchiker to whom, it was alleged, he made sexual advances; he was convicted of a lesser charge of violating his probation and again imprisoned, this time for ten months, in a work camp. Thereafter, he was a virtual pariah - penniless and dependent upon the support of a few close friends. He died of an apparent heart attack.