While the Democrats were nominating Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire for the U. S. Presidency in June 1852, the Boston & Maine Railroad was casting about for some smart new way to advertise the candidate's home state as a summer resort. A bright young B. & M. passenger agent named Jim Elkins thought it would be clever to promote a boat race between Harvard and Yale on Lake Winnepesaukee. He persuaded New Haven friends to persuade Yale to issue a challenge which Harvard promptly accepted. The race was billed as "the marine contest of...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
