Congressional Representative Roy G. Fitzgerald

    Roy Gerald Fitzgerald (August 25, 1875 – November 16, 1962) was an attorney, soldier, preservationist, and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. He was also an amateur chessplayer of some ability.

    He was born in Watertown, New York and moved to Dayton, Ohio with his parents in 1890 when his father's employer, the Davis Sewing Machine Company, was purchased by George P. Huffman and relocated from Watertown to Dayton.

    Fitzgerald attended Dayton public schools, read law under John M. Sprigg of Dayton and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1896. He commenced practice in Dayton as a partner in Sprigg & Fitzgerald that later became Fitzgerald & Sprigg.

    In 1900, Fitzgerald married and thebcouple had two daughters and a son. Their son, Roy Jr., was a Major in World War II, survived the Battle of the Bulge, but died five months after VJ Day. 

    Fitzgerald’s first wife, Caroline, suffered with ill health and she died in 1935 during her husband's Congressional service. He remarried after her death. 

    During World War I, Fitzgerald enlisted in the Army and was later commissioned as an Infantry Captain of infantry and was the commanding officer of Headquarters Company, 329th Infantry Regiment. In 1928 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of Infantry, United States Army Reserve Corps.

    Fitzgerald was elected as a Republican from Ohio and served five terms. He was defeated for reelection in 1930. 

    During his decade in Congress, Fitzgerald fought for a number of causes that dismayed his more conservative colleagues, including child labor laws, reorganization of the U S Army Air Corps as an independent body and Federal care of the needy aged, the forerunner of Social Security. 

    A licensed pilot and early advocate of flying, Fitzgerald was acquainted with Wright brothers. His interest in flying led him, in 1927, to urge that the Air Force be reorganized as an independent military force. 

    After his Congressional service, he resumed practicing law in Dayton with two partners. From 1927 to 1930, he was a delegate to an organization that studied methods of classifying international law and served in Paris, Berlin, Geneva and London. 

    He also found time to climbed 14,410 foot Mount Rainier in Washington state. Then, in 1929, he swam the Bosphorus Strait from Europe to Asia in a cold rain. The swim took him 30 minutes. 

    Fitzgerald was a director of the Merchants National Bank & Trust Company in Dayton for more than 50 years, and president of the Montgomery County Historical Society for 22 years. 

    Fitzgerald died in Dayton in 1962 after a long illness and is interred with his family at Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio. 

    His opponent in the following game was James Abbott (1852-1932). He was President of the Western Chess Association from 1906-1907. 

     The game was played in the 6th Western Championship (US Open) in Excelsior, Minnesota in 1905. It was very close and hard-fought event, in which the top five finishers did not draw any of their games with each other. Playing three games a day had to be a grind! 

 

    There was also a controversy when one player, Charles Rosen, defaulted several games and the tournament committee decided to cancel his score because he had played less than half of his games. This action benefited Blake, who had drawn with Rosen, and penalized Schrader who had received a point on forfeit.

    However, just before the last round they changed their mind and declared that Blake's draw with Rosen would have to stand. That left Blake and Schrader tied for first. In the final round Schrader defeated Fitzgerald while Blake could only draw against Stacy. 

[Event "Western Champ, Excelsior, Minnesota"] [Site "Excelsior, MN USA"] [Date "1905.08.23"] [Round "?"] [White "Roy G Fitzgerald"] [Black "James Abbott"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1905.??.??"] {D37: Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bf4 {This move is not seen very often, but it's a dynamic move that gives white an aggressive position. In recent times it's been used by Shirov, Kramnik, So and Anand.} Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 b6 7. Rc1 c5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 Ba6 {Not really bad, but the modern was is either 9...Bb7 or 9...Nc6} 10. O-O {Taking on a6 was equally good.} Bxd3 11. Qxd3 c4 12. Qf5 Qd7 {The exchange of Qs does not turn out well. His best choices were either 12...Bc6 or 12...Bb4} 13. Qxd7 Nbxd7 14. Ne5 Nb8 { This retreat is not a desirable move to have to make, but in this situation it is blacks' best choice.} (14... Nxe5 {A superficial glance might give the impression that this is OK, but after} 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. Nxd5 Bd8 17. Rxc4 { White has a decisive advantage.}) 15. b3 cxb3 16. axb3 Bb4 17. Nb5 {[%mdl 2048] } Nbd7 {With this move black's position collapses, but white's somewhat imprecise play that follows lets black back in the game.} (17... a5 18. Nc6 Nxc6 19. Rxc6 Rfc8 20. Rfc1 Rxc6 21. Rxc6 a4 22. bxa4 h6 23. Nc7 Rxa4 {While this position favors white, in Shootouts white scored +2 -0 =3. so blacl does have reasonable drawing chances OTB.}) 18. Nc6 a5 19. Nxb4 {After this white's position deteriorates to the point that his advantage is minimal (or even just theoretical) without his making any obviously bad moves!} (19. Nc7 {is the only move that keeps his winning chances at a high probability.} Rac8 (19... Nh5 20. Nxa8 Rxa8 21. Nxb4 axb4 22. Ra1 {wins}) 20. Nxb4 axb4 21. Bd6 Rfd8 22. Be7 {wins}) 19... axb4 20. Bd6 {Illustrating what was wrong with 17...Nvd7} Rfc8 21. Bxb4 g6 22. Rc7 (22. Nc7 {was even better.} Rab8 23. Rc6 {Black is left without a reasonable move.}) 22... Rxc7 23. Nxc7 Ra2 (23... Rc8 24. Bd6 Ne4 25. Nxd5 Nxd6 26. Ne7+ Kf8 27. Nxc8 Nxc8 {with a difficult ending...white should prevail, but it will require considerable technique.}) 24. Be7 {24.Rc1 was a very good move.} Rc2 {Going after the b-Pawn would have result in an ending where black had better practical chances.} (24... Rb2 25. Rc1 Rxb3 26. g4 h6 27. Rc6 Ne4 28. Nxd5 Kg7 29. Rc7 Ndf6 30. Bxf6+ Nxf6 31. Nxf6 Kxf6 32. h4 {Theoretically white has a won position.} Ke6) 25. Nb5 Ne4 26. b4 Rb2 {[%mdl 8192] This harmless looking move loses a couple of Ps and, of course, the game. } (26... f6 {A virtually impossible move to spot!} 27. Bd6 Kf7 28. Bg3 Ke7 29. Ra1 Rc4 30. Na7 Rc3 (30... Rxb4 31. Nc6+) 31. Kf1 {And a draw seems a reasonable outcome.}) 27. f3 Nd2 28. Rc1 {Hoping for Rc7.} Kg7 (28... Nc4 { puts up stouter resistance.} 29. Re1 f6 30. Nc7 Kf7 31. Nxd5 Ke6 32. e4 Rd2 { and a hard struggle remains.}) 29. Nc7 {White is winning.} Nf6 30. Bxf6+ Kxf6 31. Nxd5+ {Another P falls, so black resigned.} 1-0