About Howard Kinsey
Lived 1899 – 1966 (aged 66). Howard Kinsey was an American tennis player.
Howard Oreon Kinsey (December 3, 1899 – July 26, 1966) was an American tennis player in the 1920s. He was originally from St Louis.
Playing record His significant championships were the 1926 French National men's doubles championship, where he and Vincent Richards beat Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon (a pairing who went on to win three other French National doubles titles) in the final, and the 1924 U.S. National men's doubles championship with his brother Robert Kinsey.
Bill Tilden wrote of the pair that he had "seldom seen a team work together more smoothly than the Kinseys." In 1926, he reached the Wimbledon final, losing to Jean Borotra.
Kinsey was ranked world No. 7 in 1924 by A. Wallis Myers in his amateur rankings for The Daily Telegraph.
Later in 1926, he was one of the early players signed by the promoter Charles C. Pyle to play in his professional tennis league. After a split with Pyle, he joined Richards in forming an association of professional tennis players.
In 1936, he and Helen Wills Moody volleyed a tennis ball back and forth 2,001 times without missing. The feat took them 1 hour and 18 minutes. They only stopped the exchange so that Kinsey could go teach a lesson that he had scheduled.
Kinsey is a member of the USTA Northern California Hall of Fame.
Grand Slam finals Singles: (1 runner-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 1926 Wimbledon Grass Jean Borotra 6–8, 1–6, 3–6
Doubles: (2 titles, 1 runner-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin 1924 U.S. National Championships Grass Robert Kinsey Pat O'Hara Wood Gerald Patterson 7–5, 5–7, 7–9, 6–3, 6–4 Win 1926 French Championships Clay Vincent Richards Jacques Brugnon Henri Cochet 6–4, 6–1, 4–6, 6–4Loss 1926 Wimbledon Grass Vincent Richards Jacques Brugnon Henri Cochet 5–7, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6
Mixed doubles (1 runner-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreLoss 1926 Wimbledon Grass Mary Browne Kitty McKane Leslie Godfree 3–6, 4–6
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Important facts
People in Howard Kinsey's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Howard Kinsey's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Howard Kinsey?
US tennis player (1899–1966)
When was Howard Kinsey born?
Howard Kinsey was born on 3 December 1899 in St. Louis.
When did Howard Kinsey die?
Howard Kinsey died on 26 July 1966 in San Francisco.
What was Howard Kinsey's occupation?
Howard Kinsey was a tennis player.
What nationality was Howard Kinsey?
Howard Kinsey was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Howard Kinsey. https://biography.guide/howard-kinsey/
MLA: "Howard Kinsey." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/howard-kinsey/.
Chicago: "Howard Kinsey." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/howard-kinsey/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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