Genealogy Data Page 258 (Notes Pages)

Note: A reversal of the Burgess family fortune became good fortune for the sailing world. It turned this Harvard professor of entomology into the yacht designing genius of the 1880's. The 1883 failure of B.F. Burgess and Sons forced Edward Burgess to turn his passion for mathematics and yacht design into a practical career. The firm of Burgess Brothers was the result and Edward went on to produce three America's Cup Defenders and 207 vessels in seven years.

Burgess had done some amateur design work and became familiar with the British cutters during a season on the Isle of Wight. Despite a lack of experience, the firm promptly established a winning reputation in the Boston area.

Recognizing this reputation, and tired of New York dominance of the Cup races, General Charles J. Paine and J. Malcolm Forbes came to Burgess looking for a narrow beam, deep draft "compromise sloop" that would compete for the America's Cup.

The news that a Boston group was going to build a yacht designed by a man who studied insects was treated a something of a joke in the New York papers. The joke was on them when later in 1885 an innovative PURITAN with her heavy outside keel, large centerboard and newer lines sang the virtues of her insect loving designer as she sailed past the British Challenger GENESTA.

Burgess proved that the 1885 defense was no fluke by winning the 1886 challenge over GALATEA with his "better all around yacht" MAYFLOWER. He improved on his own work still more, producing VOLUNTEER, a boat superior to both PURITAN and MAYFLOWER that went on to defeat THISTLE in the 1887 America's Cup defense.

Edward's untimely death at age 43 robbed yachting of a highly gifted designer at the peak of his abilities. The Burgess genius lived on, however, in the designs of Edward's son, W. Starling Burgess.

Edward is buried at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Grave Lot # 1167, Geranium Path. He died of typhoid fever. Edward and Caroline resided at 409 Marlborough Street in Boston. Edward was also a member of the class of 1871 of Harvard College and received his honorary master's degree in 1888. He began his career as an entomologist and finished it as a famous yacht designer.

BURGESS, Edward, naval architect, born in West Sandwich, Massachusetts, 30 June, 1848. After graduation at Harvard in 1871, he became secretary of the Boston society of natural history, edited its publications for several years, and published several memoirs on anatomical subjects. From 1879 till 1883 he was instructor in entomology in Harvard. He traveled in Europe, and, m an amateur way, studied the principles of naval architecture, bringing his knowledge and judgment to the practical test of designing and building vessels for his own use. His success in this line was so marked that when, in 1883, a reverse of fortune threw him upon his own resources for a livelihood, he naturally turned to the designing of sailing-yachts. Several of his boats won fame in eastern waters, and when, in 1884, it became necessary to build a large sloop-yacht to represent the United States in a series of international races, he was selected by a committee of Boston gentlemen to draw plans for a suitable vessel. The famous sloop "Puritan " was the result, and in the contest for the "America's" cup in 1885 she defeated all competitors, including the fine English cutter "Genesta," which had crossed the ocean to enter the contest. This was a remarkable triumph in view of the fact that it was the first attempt of an American designer to solve certain ship-building problems to which Englishmen had given their attention for a score of years. In the following season Mr. Burgess brought out the "Mayflower," a sloop slightly larger than the "Puritan," and the "Sachem," a large schooner-yacht that has shown remarkable sea-going qualities. During the season of 1886 the "Mayflower" easily defeated, not only all American vessels of her class, but distanced the English cutter "Galatea" which had come over in the hope of redeeming the "Genesta's" defeat of the preceding year.