William R. Chase

General Facts

Died: Aug. 30, 1951, at the age of 84 at the home of his daughter in Bristol, RI. He had been staying there following the death of his wife on May 19, 1951

William was the son of William B. and Rebecca F. Bunker Chase. He had a sister Charlotte Bunker Chase.

Wife: Kate Josepha Bartlett Chase (1872-1951)

Children: Catherine Chase Hornby and William Burt Chase

Items of Interest

  • Will forever be known for scoring the first (and only) basket in the first game of basketball when Dr. James Naismith introduced the sport to his class on Dec. 21, 1891
  • Among the 18 Original Team members inducted into the inauural class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on March 3, 1959

Important Dates

1893: Graduated from the Secretarial Department of the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College)

1893-1894: General Secretary and Physical Director, YMCA, Johnstown, New York

1894-1895: General Secretary and Physical Director, YMCA, Whitman, Massachusetts

1895-1932: Insurance agent, Caledonian American Insurance Company, New Bedford, Massachusetts

1932-1946: In real-estate business, New Bedford, Massachusetts

1946-1951: Insurance business, affiliated with Humphrey & Covill, New Bedford, Massachusetts

General Facts