J.J. Wise
Encyclopedia
Jacob J. Wise was a Republican
mayor of Massillon, Ohio
from 1898 until 1902. He was also the Clerk of Courts
for Massillion from 1903 until 1910. In 1912 he was elected to Ohio Senate
for the 80th General Assembly. He was then re-elected in 1914 for the 81 General Assembly. During his time in the Senate, Wise was Chairman of the Senate Committee on Drainage and Irrigation, and a member of the following committees: Benevolent Institutions, County Affairs, Finance, Geological Survey, Labor, Manufactures and Commerce, Military Affairs, Public Works
, State Buildings, and Temperance. He also served as Secretary of the Labor and Finance Committees.
Wise was also a founder, and later manager, of the professional American football
team, the Massillon Tigers
of the Ohio League
. In 1903 Wise, who was the Massillon
Clerk of Courts
, organized a group of 35 local business leaders who met in the Hotel Sailer in downtown Massillon, to form a professional football team. He then led a committee to secure the necessary funds for a new football and jerseys that were nearly the same color. Massillon's local venders only had a sufficient quantity of one jersey style to outfit an entire team. Those jerseys imitated the orange and black striped attire of the Princeton Tigers
. So the new Massillon team was christened the "Tigers."
By 1905 Wise was the manager of the Tigers, who won the 1903, 1904 and 1905 Ohio League titles. He remained the manager until after Tigers won the 1906 Ohio League championship. Immediately afterwards rumors of a betting fix tainted the championship
. Major professional football would cease in Ohio until 1911.
. The couple would go onto have a daughter, Margery Whitman, and a grand-daughter, Mary Elizabeth.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
mayor of Massillon, Ohio
Massillon, Ohio
Massillon is a city located in Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately 8 miles to the west of Canton, Ohio, 20 miles south of Akron, Ohio, and 50 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio. The population was 32,149 at the 2010 census....
from 1898 until 1902. He was also the Clerk of Courts
Court clerk
A court clerk is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining the records of a court. Another duty is to administer oaths to witnesses, jurors, and grand jurors...
for Massillion from 1903 until 1910. In 1912 he was elected to Ohio Senate
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
for the 80th General Assembly. He was then re-elected in 1914 for the 81 General Assembly. During his time in the Senate, Wise was Chairman of the Senate Committee on Drainage and Irrigation, and a member of the following committees: Benevolent Institutions, County Affairs, Finance, Geological Survey, Labor, Manufactures and Commerce, Military Affairs, Public Works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
, State Buildings, and Temperance. He also served as Secretary of the Labor and Finance Committees.
Wise was also a founder, and later manager, of the professional American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, the Massillon Tigers
Massillon Tigers
The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championships in 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, then merged to become...
of the Ohio League
Ohio League
The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1903 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship . As the name implied, its teams were based in Ohio...
. In 1903 Wise, who was the Massillon
Massillon, Ohio
Massillon is a city located in Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately 8 miles to the west of Canton, Ohio, 20 miles south of Akron, Ohio, and 50 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio. The population was 32,149 at the 2010 census....
Clerk of Courts
Court clerk
A court clerk is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining the records of a court. Another duty is to administer oaths to witnesses, jurors, and grand jurors...
, organized a group of 35 local business leaders who met in the Hotel Sailer in downtown Massillon, to form a professional football team. He then led a committee to secure the necessary funds for a new football and jerseys that were nearly the same color. Massillon's local venders only had a sufficient quantity of one jersey style to outfit an entire team. Those jerseys imitated the orange and black striped attire of the Princeton Tigers
Princeton Tigers
The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 31 varsity sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, six in men's lacrosse, three in women's lacrosse, and eight in men's golf...
. So the new Massillon team was christened the "Tigers."
By 1905 Wise was the manager of the Tigers, who won the 1903, 1904 and 1905 Ohio League titles. He remained the manager until after Tigers won the 1906 Ohio League championship. Immediately afterwards rumors of a betting fix tainted the championship
Canton Bulldogs-Massillon Tigers Betting Scandal
The Canton Bulldogs–Massillon Tigers betting scandal was the first major scandal in professional football in the United States. It refers to a series of allegations made by a Massillon newspaper charging the Canton Bulldogs coach, Blondy Wallace, and Massillon Tigers end, Walter East, of conspiring...
. Major professional football would cease in Ohio until 1911.
Family
In 1887 Jacob married Elizabeth Axel, of Ashland, OhioAshland, Ohio
Ashland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Ashland County. The population was 21,249 at the 2000 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. The couple would go onto have a daughter, Margery Whitman, and a grand-daughter, Mary Elizabeth.