Henry Moses Dufur
September 25, 1880
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Born on June 5, 1843, or possibly 1842, and said to be trained as a wrestler by his father, Eliphat Dufur, who also trained his brothers. By 1860 he was said to be considered a serious threat in his village of Richfield, Vermont, and had already been dubbed the local champion since the age of fifteen. By the time he was twenty he had already moved from Sutton, but it was at the age he settled in Marlboro, Massachusetts.
The story goes he took on all local competition while running his own tailors. Inexplicably, he did not burst onto the main wrestling scene until 1877, when he would have been 34 years old. That's not too surprising as a few wrestlers from this period waited until they were a little older before challenging the accepted experts.
Dufur was a Collar & Elbow competitor and a fine one at that. Some historians cite him as the first true "tough guy" of professional wrestling, I feel that is an impossible call to make, but, it goes to show the kind of reputation he built and has managed to translate through the 100 plus years since he last wrestled.
What a splash he made as well. In his first major professional match, it was given fairly wide coverage in newspapers, taking place on February 28, 1877. Leading up to the match he was billed as the "Unknown Wrestler," after he issued a challenge to James Owens, the reigning American Collar & Elbow Champion. The match itself was a complete disaster from a fan perspective.
It ended with a Dufur victory as he scored the only fall in the match via a foul. However, the problem with the match was Dufur had arrived wearing a jacket that simply did not fit him properly and therefore made it impossible for Owens to grip him. With the bout thrown out both men agreed to meet again, but it would not be for a little over twenty-seven months.
In the mean time Dufur continued to compete locally and picked up a big win over Edward Cox which really set in motion the rematch. When they did meet again, the American Collar & Elbow Championship was up for grabs and Dufur came out the victor after a contest lasting just short of two hours. He scored two falls while Owens scored none on June 11, 1879 at the Howard Antheum in Boston, Massachusetts.
During this period there were two versions of the title going around, the Owens line which Dufur won, and the Colonel James Hiram McLaughlin line. Dufur would trade his version with John McMahon, losing it on December 16, 1880 and winning it back on December 13, 1883. Both matches took place in Boston. The latter match was attended by a "large" audience.
Seven weeks later Dufur squared off against McLaughlin in Detroit, Michigan at the Opera House. McLaughlin was the biggest star Collar & Elbow had seen in the last fifteen years. In front of a packed house, McLaughlin defeated Dufur two falls to one taking a few minutes over an hour to do so. This created one unified championship going forward.
Dufur would only be a loser for a few months though as on May 3, 1884 he defeated McLaughlin with 1,200 in attendance. This time it was Dufur scoring two falls to McLaughlin's one in the Chicago Battery D Armory. Again they traded the title on June 6 under the same circumstances, but in front of only 300 people in the Buffalo, New York Musical Hall, only for Dufur to win it back again on July 30 in front of "up to 1,500 people" at the Union Baseball Grounds in Boston. On that last occasion, Dufur won decisively scoring two straight falls.
With the devil that was McLaughlin shaken from his back, it must have seemed as though Dufur could hold the title for years to come. Again, he was only the temporary holder of the medal. John McMahon avenged his earlier losses by picking up the title on October 15 of the same year. Dufur would not see that title again for nearly three years.
It appears that on September 15, 1887 he picked it back up scoring two falls to one over McMahon at the Marlboro Baseball Grounds. He'd lose the championship for the final time to Edwin Decker on November 10, 1887 at Swanton in Vermont.
Dufur had not just limited his career to Collar & Elbow though, one of his main attractions was that he learned to wrestle mixed styles and competed in a series of contests with the world famous Duncan C. Ross, ultimately Ross, who was the more rounded athlete, would come out on top though.
Actually, professional wrestling is not the only thing Dufur can lay claim to being a pioneer in though. The American version of, the originally Irish, Collar & Elbow style had become rather mixed up over the years and there were no set way to compete as such. It was Dufur who in the latter half of the 1880s composed a set of rules to be used going forth, they were known as the "Dufur Rules." One of the main features was the necessity for a count of five with all four points down (two hips/two shoulders) to be gained before a fall could be given.
There's no mistaking that Collar & Elbow was on its very last legs by the time Dufur came around to really getting in on the big time action. Before 1875 there was no questioning that it was one of the most popular sports in America, but by the time he came into the fray in the late '70s Graeco-Roman wrestling was taking over top position. By the time he was trading the title in 1884 Catch-as-Catch-Can was also on the scene and it was only a matter of time until that exploded.
In fact, by the time he lost the title for the final time, Catch-as-Catch-Can would be the number one version of wrestling in America. One could say it was a testament to the performances put on by men like Dufur, McLaughlin and McMahon that Collar & Elbow lasted so long.
After he retired from wrestling around 1889 he still made appearances from time-to-time to officiate a bout here-and-there. Not much else is known about his life after wrestling though. According to a genealogy website he died in 1914 although neither the exact date nor the cause were listed. If he did pass away that year or if it was another, he left a lasting impression on the world of professional wrestling.
Born on June 5, 1843, or possibly 1842, and said to be trained as a wrestler by his father, Eliphat Dufur, who also trained his brothers. By 1860 he was said to be considered a serious threat in his village of Richfield, Vermont, and had already been dubbed the local champion since the age of fifteen. By the time he was twenty he had already moved from Sutton, but it was at the age he settled in Marlboro, Massachusetts.
The story goes he took on all local competition while running his own tailors. Inexplicably, he did not burst onto the main wrestling scene until 1877, when he would have been 34 years old. That's not too surprising as a few wrestlers from this period waited until they were a little older before challenging the accepted experts.
Dufur was a Collar & Elbow competitor and a fine one at that. Some historians cite him as the first true "tough guy" of professional wrestling, I feel that is an impossible call to make, but, it goes to show the kind of reputation he built and has managed to translate through the 100 plus years since he last wrestled.
What a splash he made as well. In his first major professional match, it was given fairly wide coverage in newspapers, taking place on February 28, 1877. Leading up to the match he was billed as the "Unknown Wrestler," after he issued a challenge to James Owens, the reigning American Collar & Elbow Champion. The match itself was a complete disaster from a fan perspective.
It ended with a Dufur victory as he scored the only fall in the match via a foul. However, the problem with the match was Dufur had arrived wearing a jacket that simply did not fit him properly and therefore made it impossible for Owens to grip him. With the bout thrown out both men agreed to meet again, but it would not be for a little over twenty-seven months.
In the mean time Dufur continued to compete locally and picked up a big win over Edward Cox which really set in motion the rematch. When they did meet again, the American Collar & Elbow Championship was up for grabs and Dufur came out the victor after a contest lasting just short of two hours. He scored two falls while Owens scored none on June 11, 1879 at the Howard Antheum in Boston, Massachusetts.
During this period there were two versions of the title going around, the Owens line which Dufur won, and the Colonel James Hiram McLaughlin line. Dufur would trade his version with John McMahon, losing it on December 16, 1880 and winning it back on December 13, 1883. Both matches took place in Boston. The latter match was attended by a "large" audience.
Seven weeks later Dufur squared off against McLaughlin in Detroit, Michigan at the Opera House. McLaughlin was the biggest star Collar & Elbow had seen in the last fifteen years. In front of a packed house, McLaughlin defeated Dufur two falls to one taking a few minutes over an hour to do so. This created one unified championship going forward.
Dufur would only be a loser for a few months though as on May 3, 1884 he defeated McLaughlin with 1,200 in attendance. This time it was Dufur scoring two falls to McLaughlin's one in the Chicago Battery D Armory. Again they traded the title on June 6 under the same circumstances, but in front of only 300 people in the Buffalo, New York Musical Hall, only for Dufur to win it back again on July 30 in front of "up to 1,500 people" at the Union Baseball Grounds in Boston. On that last occasion, Dufur won decisively scoring two straight falls.
With the devil that was McLaughlin shaken from his back, it must have seemed as though Dufur could hold the title for years to come. Again, he was only the temporary holder of the medal. John McMahon avenged his earlier losses by picking up the title on October 15 of the same year. Dufur would not see that title again for nearly three years.
It appears that on September 15, 1887 he picked it back up scoring two falls to one over McMahon at the Marlboro Baseball Grounds. He'd lose the championship for the final time to Edwin Decker on November 10, 1887 at Swanton in Vermont.
Dufur had not just limited his career to Collar & Elbow though, one of his main attractions was that he learned to wrestle mixed styles and competed in a series of contests with the world famous Duncan C. Ross, ultimately Ross, who was the more rounded athlete, would come out on top though.
Actually, professional wrestling is not the only thing Dufur can lay claim to being a pioneer in though. The American version of, the originally Irish, Collar & Elbow style had become rather mixed up over the years and there were no set way to compete as such. It was Dufur who in the latter half of the 1880s composed a set of rules to be used going forth, they were known as the "Dufur Rules." One of the main features was the necessity for a count of five with all four points down (two hips/two shoulders) to be gained before a fall could be given.
There's no mistaking that Collar & Elbow was on its very last legs by the time Dufur came around to really getting in on the big time action. Before 1875 there was no questioning that it was one of the most popular sports in America, but by the time he came into the fray in the late '70s Graeco-Roman wrestling was taking over top position. By the time he was trading the title in 1884 Catch-as-Catch-Can was also on the scene and it was only a matter of time until that exploded.
In fact, by the time he lost the title for the final time, Catch-as-Catch-Can would be the number one version of wrestling in America. One could say it was a testament to the performances put on by men like Dufur, McLaughlin and McMahon that Collar & Elbow lasted so long.
After he retired from wrestling around 1889 he still made appearances from time-to-time to officiate a bout here-and-there. Not much else is known about his life after wrestling though. According to a genealogy website he died in 1914 although neither the exact date nor the cause were listed. If he did pass away that year or if it was another, he left a lasting impression on the world of professional wrestling.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Biography of Henry Moses Dufur.
Author: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: July 2014.
Biography: #44.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Updated: December 12, 2019.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Biography of Henry Moses Dufur.
Author: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: July 2014.
Biography: #44.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Updated: December 12, 2019.