John de Forest

John Gerard de Forest (31 March 1907 – 10 April 1997)[1][2][3] was an English amateur golfer. He won the Amateur Championship in 1932 and was in the Walker Cup team the same year.

For the 19th century American writer, see John William De Forest.

John de Forest
Personal information
Full nameJohn Gerard de Forest aka John de Bendern
Born(1907-03-31)31 March 1907
London, England
Died10 April 1997(1997-04-10) (aged 90)
Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
Sporting nationality England
Career
StatusAmateur
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters Tournament61st: 1953
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 1930, 1932, 1933
British AmateurWon: 1932

Golf career

De Forest reached the final of the Amateur Championship in 1931, losing to Eric Martin Smith by 1 hole.[4] The following year he reached the final again, this time beating Eric Fiddian 3&1.[5] Both de Forest and Fiddian were selected for the 1932 Walker Cup team following their semi-final wins.[6] The Walker Cup was held at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts on 1 and 2 September. De Forest lost his foursomes match and was not selected for the singles.[7]

Personal life

De Forest was the younger son of Maurice de Forest. In the 1930s, Maurice de Forest was granted the title Count Maurice de Bendern, and in early 1937 John de Forest adopted the name John de Bendern. His first wife was Lady Patricia Sybil Douglas, daughter of Francis Douglas, 11th Marquess of Queensberry.[8] Their children were:

  • Caroline de Bendern (born 1940), who married saxophonist Barney Wilen.[9] She was a political activist, who became symbol of May 1968 protests when she was photographed in Paris.[10]
  • Simon Frederick de Bendern (born 1946), who married Ethel von Horn in 1974.
  • Emma Magdalen de Bendern (1950–2021)

He had two other children after his divorce from Patricia Douglas.

  • Michael Fulke de Bendern (born 1954)
  • Samantha Grace de Bendern (born 1965), international civil servant, political journalist and writer.

De Forest had an elder brother, Alaric (1905–1973), who also adopted the Bendern name. Alaric was also a useful golfer, and reached the semi-final of the Amateur Championship in 1937, losing 4&3 to Lionel Munn.[11] John and Alaric met in the final of the 1937 Dutch Open Amateur Championship, with Alaric winning by one hole.[12]

Amateur wins
  • 1931 Surrey Amateur Championship
  • 1932 Amateur Championship
  • 1937 Austrian Open Amateur Championship
  • 1949 Surrey Amateur Championship

Major championships

Wins (1)
YearChampionshipWinning scoreRunner-up
1932Amateur Championship3 & 1England Eric Fiddian

Results timeline
Tournament 1930 1931 1932 1933
The Open Championship CUT WD CUT CUT
Tournament 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953
Masters Tournament WD 61

Note: de Forest only played in the Open Championship and the Masters.

  Did not play

WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut

Team appearances

References
  1. "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  2. "Find a will". probatesearch.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  3. "Deaths – de Bendern". The Times. 14 April 1997. p. 22.
  4. "Golf – The Amateur Championship". The Times. 23 May 1931. p. 7.
  5. "Golf – Victory of J. de Forest". The Times. 30 May 1932. p. 6.
  6. "The Walker Cup team". The Times. 28 May 1932. p. 4.
  7. "The Walker Cup match". The Times. 3 September 1932. p. 5.
  8. "Wedding At Brompton Oratory 1938". British Pathe News. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  9. Divenni la Marianna del '68 Oggi le modelle vanno a destraCorriere della Sera
  10. Frymann Rouch, Abigail (20 March 2017). "Caroline de Bendern: 'leave campaign was lies and xenophobia'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  11. "Golf – The Amateur Championship". The Times. 29 May 1937. p. 4.
  12. "Dutch Amateur Title". The Glasgow Herald. 14 July 1937. p. 4.
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