Frederic McLaughlin: Putting Chicago on the Map in Polo and Hockey
Frederic McLaughlin on the polo field. Image source: Chicago Daily News.
Frederic McLaughlin (1877-1944), heir to the McLaughlins Manor House coffee firm, was one of the top polo players in the Midwest in the early 1900s. McLaughlin played polo at the Onwentsia Club and all over the world. In 1915 he was the captain of the U.S. national polo team at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. His influence was instrumental in bringing the seminal 1933 East-West "World Series of Polo" matches to the Onwentsia Club.
McLaughlin’s marriage to Irene Castle was stormy and the two often lived apart. They had two children and remained married until his death in 1944.
During World War I, McLaughlin attended the Officers Training Camp at Fort Sheridan and was commissioned a major. He served in the war with 86th Infantry “Blackhawk” Division in the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion. After the war, he married the renowned dancer and quintessential flapper, Irene Castle.
Chicago Blackhawks owner Frederic McLaughlin holding the Stanley Cup in 1934. He was said to be a very hands-on owner, going through coaches and tinkering with the roster at a prodigious rate.
In 1926, McLaughlin purchased an expansion franchise for Chicago in the National Hockey League, which he named the Blackhawks in honor of his old division. During his 18 years as owner, the Blackhawks won two Stanley Cups (1934 and 1938).