Edmond H. Barmore
Encyclopedia
Edmond Herbert Barmore was an American football
player and businessman. He played for the first college football
team at the University of Michigan
in 1879 and was the first Michigan Wolverines football
player to play at the quarterback
position. He later went into the business of building steamships in Jeffersonville, Indiana
, from 1881 to 1886. He moved to Los Angeles, California
, in 1886, where he founded and operated the Los Angeles Transfer Company for approximately 40 years.
, on the banks of the Ohio River
, in 1860. He was the son of Captain David S. Barmore (1832-1905) and Mary E. (Cash) Barmore. His father was one of the leading builders of steamboats used along the Ohio
and Mississippi River
s. He attended public schools in Indiana and Michigan.
in October 1878. In the spring of 1879, a group of students formed the university's first college football
team. Barmore played at the halfback
position on the 1879 Michigan Wolverines football team
and participated in the first Michigan football team, a victory over Racine College
played at White Stockings Park in Chicago
. The following year, he played for the undefeated 1880 Michigan Wolverines football team
and was the first Michigan Wolverines
player to hold the position of quarterback
. While attending Michigan, Barmore was also Director of the Athletic Association and a prize winner in long-distance running. He was also a member of the Zeta Psi
fraternity at Michigan. Barmore left Michigan in June 1881.
, on the opposite shore of the Ohio River
from Louisville, Kentucky
. He and his father built all manner of riverboats, from small tugboat
s "to the large and powerful three and four-decked steamboats of modern commerce that ply the Ohio and Mississippi between Pittsburgh, St. Louis and New Orleans, carrying each its hundreds of passengers and thousands of tons of freight." From 1881 to 1886, Barmore and his father did business under the name D. S. Barmore and Son.
In 1886, Barmore and his father sold their business in Jeffersonville, and Barmore moved to Los Angeles, California
. In Los Angeles, Barmore founded the Los Angeles Transfer Company. Barmore operated the Los Angeles Transfer Company as its sole owner for many years. The Los Angeles Times
wrote that Barmore had a "practical monopoly" on the transfer business at railroad stations, but the long-established business experienced financial difficulties when Barmore expanded into the taxicab businesss. In July 1917, Barmore made an assignment of the business to three trustees for the benefit of the company's creditors. In December 1917, Barmore filed a voluntary bankruptcy petition in the United States District Court. He listed his total liabilities, as head of the company, as $231,933 against assets of approximately $175,000. The company continued through the bankruptcy, and Barmore retained ownership until 1926.
Barmore was a long-time member of the Jonathan Club
in Los Angeles.
In 1908, Barmore purchased a large Craftsman style home with Tudor influences, including a three-gabled dormer, at 1317 Alvarado Terrace. In 1909, the house was featured on the cover of "Better City" (pictured at right) in a story about the fashionable new Alvarado Terrace neighborhood. The house, now known as the Boyle-Barmore House, is one of the designated properties in the Alvarado Terrace Historic District
.
In November 1931, Barmore died at his home at 1545 West Ninth Street in Los Angeles. He had been in failing health for two years and became seriously ill two weeks before his death. He was buried at Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles and was survived by his wife, Mary G. Barmore, and his two sons.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and businessman. He played for the first college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1879 and was the first Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
player to play at the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
position. He later went into the business of building steamships in Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
, from 1881 to 1886. He moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, in 1886, where he founded and operated the Los Angeles Transfer Company for approximately 40 years.
Early years
Barmore was born in Jeffersonville, IndianaJeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
, on the banks of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, in 1860. He was the son of Captain David S. Barmore (1832-1905) and Mary E. (Cash) Barmore. His father was one of the leading builders of steamboats used along the Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
s. He attended public schools in Indiana and Michigan.
University of Michigan
Barmore enrolled in the Literary Department at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in October 1878. In the spring of 1879, a group of students formed the university's first college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team. Barmore played at the halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
position on the 1879 Michigan Wolverines football team
1879 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1879 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1879 college football season. The team was the first intercollegiate football squad to represent the University of Michigan. They played two games, winning one and tying the other. In its first intercollegiate...
and participated in the first Michigan football team, a victory over Racine College
Racine College
Racine College was an Episcopal college in Racine, Wisconsin, founded in 1852. The collegiate department closed in 1887, but the college continued to be used as a grammar school and a military school until it closed in 1933....
played at White Stockings Park in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The following year, he played for the undefeated 1880 Michigan Wolverines football team
1880 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1880 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1880 college football season. The team was the second intercollegiate football team to represent the University of Michigan. They played one game, defeating Toronto 13 to 6. Michigan scored two touchdowns and...
and was the first Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
player to hold the position of quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. While attending Michigan, Barmore was also Director of the Athletic Association and a prize winner in long-distance running. He was also a member of the Zeta Psi
Zeta Psi
The Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America was founded June 1, 1847 as a social college fraternity. The organization now comprises about fifty active chapters and twenty-five inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand brothers, and is a founding member of the North-American...
fraternity at Michigan. Barmore left Michigan in June 1881.
Business career
After leaving Michigan, Barmore joined his father in the boat-building business at Jeffersonville, IndianaJeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
, on the opposite shore of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
from Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He and his father built all manner of riverboats, from small tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
s "to the large and powerful three and four-decked steamboats of modern commerce that ply the Ohio and Mississippi between Pittsburgh, St. Louis and New Orleans, carrying each its hundreds of passengers and thousands of tons of freight." From 1881 to 1886, Barmore and his father did business under the name D. S. Barmore and Son.
In 1886, Barmore and his father sold their business in Jeffersonville, and Barmore moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. In Los Angeles, Barmore founded the Los Angeles Transfer Company. Barmore operated the Los Angeles Transfer Company as its sole owner for many years. The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
wrote that Barmore had a "practical monopoly" on the transfer business at railroad stations, but the long-established business experienced financial difficulties when Barmore expanded into the taxicab businesss. In July 1917, Barmore made an assignment of the business to three trustees for the benefit of the company's creditors. In December 1917, Barmore filed a voluntary bankruptcy petition in the United States District Court. He listed his total liabilities, as head of the company, as $231,933 against assets of approximately $175,000. The company continued through the bankruptcy, and Barmore retained ownership until 1926.
Barmore was a long-time member of the Jonathan Club
Jonathan Club
The Jonathan Club is a private social club in Los Angeles, California, U.S. It maintains two clubhouses, one in downtown Los Angeles at 545 South Figueroa Street and one on the beach in Santa Monica. The Los Angeles headquarters has dining and residential facilities, ballrooms, a health club, a...
in Los Angeles.
Family and later years
Barmore was married in July 1884 to Mary G. Downham. They had two children, Edmond H. Barmore, Jr. and David S. Barmore.In 1908, Barmore purchased a large Craftsman style home with Tudor influences, including a three-gabled dormer, at 1317 Alvarado Terrace. In 1909, the house was featured on the cover of "Better City" (pictured at right) in a story about the fashionable new Alvarado Terrace neighborhood. The house, now known as the Boyle-Barmore House, is one of the designated properties in the Alvarado Terrace Historic District
Alvarado Terrace Historic District
Alvarado Terrace Historical District is a designated historic district southwest of Downtown Los Angeles, located along Alvarado Terrace between Pico Boulevard and Alvarado Street...
.
In November 1931, Barmore died at his home at 1545 West Ninth Street in Los Angeles. He had been in failing health for two years and became seriously ill two weeks before his death. He was buried at Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles and was survived by his wife, Mary G. Barmore, and his two sons.