HUTT, Harry

Hutt, Harry. (New York, NY--Dubuque, IA, Apr. 27, 1978). In 1951, Hutt announced his retirement from a career which had made him a national sports personality for more than thirty-five years and a Dubuque BOXING and wrestling referee for more than twenty years.

Hutt's career began in New York where, after a short professional fighting career, he managed other fighters before becoming the fifth rated fight referee in the United States. While a handler of fighters, Hutt managed the career of John Lester Johnson who went ten rounds and eventually defeated Jack "Manassa Mauler" Dempsey. Hutt was a boxing instructor at Camp Upton, New York during WORLD WAR I. He returned to New York representing the Pastime Athletic Club and won the amateur boxing title in the featherweight class. After mangling a thumb in a match, Hutt gave up boxing permanently. Becoming a marathon runner, he placed fifth in a meet of New York athletic clubs.

Hutt moved west in the 1920s with a real estate company. Refereeing fights on the side, he replaced Dave Barry, the referee in the controversial "long count" fight between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey, as the most popular referee in the Midwest. Upon coming to Dubuque, Hutt began a business friendship with promoter Ken FENELON. Still active in real estate, Hutt named the streets and subdivided most of the property now known as the Hillcrest Subdivision which lies south of Asbury Road near Chaney Road.

Hutt recalled many close calls during his career. In 1949, he was thrown out of the ring by "Bad Boy" Brown. Hutt bounded back into the ring, hit Brown once which disqualified him from continuing, and then called a doctor who used nine stitches to close the wound Hutt had inflicted above the wrestler's eye. Once he narrowly missed being hit by a flying chair thrown by one of the Zaharias brothers. Another time he was hit by a soft drink bottle thrown by a fan at one of the girls involved in a match in Oskaloosa, Iowa.