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Jack Dempsey biography

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Quick Facts

  • NAME: Jack Dempsey
  • OCCUPATION: Boxer
  • BIRTH DATE: June 24, 1895
  • DEATH DATE: May 31, 1983
  • PLACE OF BIRTH: Manassa, Colorado
  • PLACE OF DEATH: New York City, New York
  • Nickname: The Manassa Mauler
  • Full Name: Jack Dempsey
  • Originally: William Harrison Dempsey

Best Known For

Jack Dempsey -- known as the "Manassa Mauler" -- was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1919-1926.

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After his second loss to Tunney, Dempsey retired from boxing, but remained a prominent cultural figure. He opened Jack Dempsey's Restaurant in New York City, where he was famous for his hospitality and willingness to chat with any customer who walked through his doors. He also tried his hand at acting. He and his wife, actress Estelle Taylor, co-starred in a Broadway play called The Big Fight, and Dempsey appeared in a handful of films,

including The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933) and Sweet Surrender (1935). During World War II, Dempsey put all questions surrounding his war record to rest by serving as a lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard.

Personal Life and Legacy

Dempsey married four times during his life, to Maxine Gates (1916-1919), Estelle Taylor (1925-1930), Hannah Williams (1933-1943) and Deanna Piatelli (1958-1943). He had two children with Williams, Joan and Barbara, and adopted a daughter with Piatelli. In 1977, he wrote an autobiography, Dempsey: The Autobiography of Jack Dempsey. He passed away from heart failure on May 31, 1983.

Nicknamed the "Manassa Mauler," Dempsey ranked second only to Babe Ruth among the great American sports icons of the 1920s. He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954, and many commentators still rank him among the ten greatest boxers of all time. Known for his ruthless, unbridled violence in a prizefight, Dempsey was renowned for his warmth, kindness and generosity outside of the ring.

He displayed a level of sportsmanship perhaps unrivaled in the history of the notoriously violent sport. Half-dazed and heartbroken after his loss to Tunney in the controversial "long count" match, Dempsey offered his opponent nothing but his earnest congratulations. "Lead me out there," he said to his trainer because he could not walk straight. "I want to shake his hand."

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

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