Edwin P. Fischer

Edwin Philip Fischer (October 3, 1872 – November 8, 1947) was an American male tennis player who was active in the late 19th century and notable for his association with the Wall Street bombing of 1920.

Biography Edwin Fischer won the mixed doubles title at the U.S. National Championships four times. In 1894, 1895 and 1896, he won the title with Juliette Atkinson, and in 1898, he won his fourth title partnering Carrie Neely. The mixed doubles championship was played at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.

His best result in the men's singles competition came in 1896 when he reached the semifinals in which he was beaten by Bill Larned. In 1897, he again was defeated by Larned, this time in the quarterfinals.

In July 1896, he won the Tuxedo Invitation tournament in Tuxedo Park, New York , defeating 1894 and 1895 champion Malcolm Chace. Fischer was a three-times finalist at the Canadian Championships in 1896, 1897 and 1906. He was a runner-up at the 1906 indoor national tennis championship in New York. His highest ranking in U.S. singles was no. 5 in 1896, and he was ranked in the top 10 during four years.

Fischer was a member of the Merriewold Tennis Club during the 1910s. He came out of retirement to compete in its tournament in 1913 and 1914.

Wall Street bombing At noon on September 16, 1920, a bomb exploded on Wall Street in the Financial District of New York City. The blast killed 38 and seriously injured 143.

Investigators of the Wall Street bombing became suspicious of Edwin Fischer, then a lawyer, as he apparently predicted the attack with astonishing accuracy. Fischer had been warning his friends of an impending bomb attack on Wall Street, sending them postcards urging them to leave the area before September 16.

He was taken into custody in Hamilton, Ontario. On return to New York, he was wearing two business suits for warmth and a tennis outfit underneath, which he claimed he wore "to be ready for a tennis match at all times".

He had been a patient at the Goshen sanitarium for a few weeks in 1906, and the doctor that treated him at the time, Dr. F. W. Seward, Jr., remarked in 1920, "I do not regard him as possessed of psychic power, but believe the fact that he gave warning of the explosion which occurred was merely a coincidence."

Grand Slam finals

Mixed doubles (4 titles)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin 1894 U.S. Championships Grass Juliette Atkinson Mrs. McFadden Gustav Remak, Jr. 6–3, 6–2, 6–1Win 1895 U.S. Championships Grass Juliette Atkinson Amy Williams Mantle Fielding 4–6, 8–6, 6–2Win 1896 U.S. Championships Grass Juliette Atkinson Amy Williams Mantle Fielding 6–2, 6–3, 6–3Win 1898 U.S. Championships Grass Carrie Neely Helen Chapman J.A. Hill 6–2, 6–4, 8–6