Politicians and golf — George A. Stevens

George A. Stevens, owner of the Stevens House hotel in Lake Placid, enjoyed hunting, politics and golf.

His idea of a golf cart was to hitch up four horses to the front of a wagon and drive up to 30 miles to play 9 or 18 holes.

“George A. Stevens is an up-to-date man and so, of course, plays golf, being one of the most famous devotees of the ancient and royal game in the whole Adirondack region,” The Elizabethtown Post reported on Aug. 20, 1903. “He plays an excellent game of golf and is counted a worthy competitor in any match.”

In 1916, Stevens accepted a wager from Frederick Gerkin for dinner of 16 people — paid for by the winner of a golf match at the Lake Placid Club.

Stevens won and Gerkin bought dinner at Stevens’ hotel. Each golfer brought along seven friends.

“The dinner is indeed one to make the winner rejoice and the loser to forget his pain,” The Lake Placid News reported on Sept. 15, 1916. “Nine banquet courses were served and the diners sat into the game from one until four before it was finally called off and generally agreed that complete satisfaction had been received.”

Stevens, a Republican, was North Elba town supervisor in 1885 and 1886 and represented Essex County in the state Assembly in 1893 and 1894.

He frequently was a delegate to county, legislative and congressional nominating conventions, and sometimes chaired the candidate selection meetings held before primaries were instituted in New York.

“George A. has also hunted some game in a political way, and while he has not captured all that he aspired to he has nevertheless enjoyed some of the Republican plums.”