The Hilliard Mixed Pairs national bridge championship was last held at the spring American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC).

History

This was the original national mixed pairs event. It was contested at the summer NABC the first two years. It moved to the fall NABC in 1933 until it was replaced by the Rockwell Mixed Pairs in 1946. However, it continued to be contested at Bridge Week until 1957. It was contested at the newly created Spring NABC from 1958 to 1962 .

Winners

When this was the premier event for mixed pairs, before 1946, no pair defended its title successfully, or even won the trophy twice. Only a few players won it twice. Two pairs did win the Hilliard trophy more than once after it was downgraded in status: Kay and James Dunn, three times, Helen and Morris Portugal twice, all during the five-year span 1951 to 1955. Mary Jane and Arnold Kauder won in 1949 and finished second in 1950 and 1957. Married couples did not generally dominate the event, however.

All listings are "ladies first".

+ Hilliard Mixed Pairs, 1931 to 1962 Year Winners Runners-up  1931  Mrs. Jay S. Jones Jr., Lewis R. Ayres Elinor Murdoch, Oswald Jacoby 1932 Frances B. Newman, Charles Lochridge Mrs. Evelyn C. Kaiser, B. Jay Becker 1933 Margaret Wagar, Fred Levy Helen White, J. C. McClelland 1934   Mrs. Theodore Greenbaum, Richard Kahn   Sally Young, Charles Goren 1935 Hortense Evans, Louis J. Haddad Florence Stratford, Maury J. Glick 1936 Mrs. D. M. Healy, Wingate Bixby Mrs. L. Heiner, Arthur Glatt 1937 Mrs. Sam Rush, Harry Fishbein Mrs. H. E. Latter, Jesse Slutt 1938 Mrs. Sam Rush, Fred Kaplan Lottie Zetosch, Robert Appleyard 1939 Florence Stratford, Lewis H. Fremont Louise Wainwright, Oswald Jacoby 1940 Sally Young, Sidney Silodor Helen Sobel, Robert A. McPherran 1941 Vera Glick, Jeff Glick Ann Bryant, Harry Feinberg 1942 Ruth Sherman, Harry Fishbein Olive Peterson, John R. Crawford 1943 Olive Peterson, Charles Goren Peggy Golder, Charles J. Solomon 1944 Helen Sobel, Sidney Silodor Josephine Gutman, Peter Leventritt 1945 Margaret Wagar, John R. Crawford Marjorie Perlmutter, Irving Deuter After 1945 this Hilliard Trophy event was replaced as North American mixed pairs championship by the Rockwell Mixed Pairs. 1946 Paula Bacher, Harry Fishbein   Mrs. Norman Perlstein, Norman Perlstein   1947 Betty Bysshe, Meyer Schleifer Helen Cale, Jack Ehrlenbach 1948 Verna Leonard, E. Miller Harriet Rethers, Dan Westerfield 1949 Mary Jane Kauder, Arnold Kauder Mrs. H. J. Murphy, H. J. Murphy 1950 Venita Street, Robert Street Mary Jane Kauder, Arnold Kauder 1951 Helen Portugal, Morris Portugal Allyn G. Whitehead, Dan Westerfield 1952 Kay Dunn, James Dunn Malvine Klausner, Edward Frischauer 1953 Helen Portugal, Morris Portugal Mrs. Harry Bierman, Harry Bierman 1954 Kay Dunn, James Dunn Mrs. M. Lorber, E. Hatcher 1955 Kay Dunn, James Dunn Hortense Evans, Barry Crane 1956 Ruth Million, John Hancock Jan Stone, Tobias Stone 1957 Marilyn Johnson, Bob Adams Mary Jane Kauder, Arnold Kauder After 1957 the Hilliard Trophy event was restored to North American championship status, but secondary to the Rockwell. 1958 Phyllis Novak, John Gerber Jane Clunie, Dr. William A. Clunie 1959 Mary Jane Farell, Al Roth 2/3. Eugenie Mathe, Lew Mathe 2/3. Clara Watanabe, Ivan Erdos 1960 Shirlee Harris, Ed Rosen Mrs. Benton Brandon, John E. Simon 1961 Carol Sanders, Tommy Sanders Hermine Baron, Robert F. Jordan 1962 1/2. Shirlee Harris, Ed Rosen 1/2. Jesse Cook, Grant Marsee

See also Rockwell Mixed Pairs, successor as premier event

Sources

"Search Results: Mixed Pairs (Hilliard)". 1931 to 1962. ACBL. Visit "NABC Winners"; select a Discontinued NABC. Retrieved 2014-06-04.