David Bernard Mulligan (1869–1954) was a Canadian-born hotel executive who managed several prominent North American hotels during the early twentieth century, including the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, and the New York Biltmore Hotel. He later served as president and chairman of Realty Hotels Inc., which operated several major Manhattan hotels.

Mulligan also held leadership positions in hotel-industry and New York civic organizations, including serving as president of the New York City Hotel Association and the Canadian Hotel Association, and as president and governor of the Fifth Avenue Association. The New York Times described him at the end of his career as the "dean of North American hotelmen".

Mulligan was also involved in organized sport as a hockey administrator and amateur golfer. He is associated with one of several published origin stories of the golf term mulligan. Early life and family Mulligan was born in Pembroke, Ontario, the son of Captain David B. Mulligan Sr. and Catherine Draper. He came from an Irish-Canadian family with connections to business and professional fields in Canada and the United States. He studied at Osgoode Hall in Toronto before entering the hotel industry.

Early career Mulligan began his career in 1892 as a bellhop at the Copeland House in Pembroke. In 1893, he moved to Chicago, where he held clerical positions at hotels including the Palmer House and the Lexington Hotel.

In 1894, Mulligan relocated to New York City, where he worked as a room clerk at the Holland House on Fifth Avenue from 1894 to 1895. The hotel was operated by hotelier Gustave Baumann, who later became associated with the development of the New York Biltmore Hotel.

From approximately 1896 to 1899, Mulligan worked as a room clerk at the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. His employment coincided with the tenure of George C. Boldt, who managed the Waldorf and subsequently the combined Waldorf-Astoria. The Waldorf-Astoria became one of New York City's leading luxury hotels during this period.

Mulligan remained at the Waldorf-Astoria until approximately 1899. His employment there preceded a series of management and executive positions at major hotels in Canada and the United States.

In 1900, he was appointed associate manager of a hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. He subsequently returned to Canada and was associated with the Russell House in Ottawa from approximately 1902 to 1911. In 1911, he returned to New York as general manager of the Hotel Breslin which and later became the Ace Hotel New York.

Ottawa and hockey administration During his years in Ottawa, Mulligan was associated with the Russell House, one of the city's leading hotels. He was also active in organized sport, serving as vice-president, delegate, and chairman of the players' committee of the Ottawa Hockey Club.

He was part of the club's executive during a period in which Ottawa won Stanley Cup championships in 1909, 1910, and 1911.

Railway hotels and Winnipeg years By the mid-1910s, Mulligan was based in Winnipeg, where he served as superintendent of hotels for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, later associated with Canadian National Hotels. In this role, he held executive responsibility and oversaw a network of railway hotels across Canada including Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton and Château Laurier in Ottawa.

During this period, he was active as an amateur golfer and participated in competitions and inter-club matches.

Windsor Hotel, Montreal In 1924, Mulligan was appointed manager of the Windsor Hotel in Montreal. He subsequently became vice-president and managing director of the hotel and played a role in linking the hotel to a broader North American network of luxury hotels.

By 1927, Mulligan's involvement with the Windsor had expanded beyond hotel management when he acquired an ownership interest in the property. During this period, he was also elected a vice-president of the American Hotel Association, reflecting his growing involvement in the hotel industry at the executive level. While Mulligan held both an executive role and an ownership interest in the Windsor, plans were announced for a major expansion of the property. The proposed development would have substantially increased the hotel's capacity.

He remained associated with the Windsor until resigning from his position in 1931.

New York executive career Following his departure from the Windsor Hotel in Montreal in 1931, Mulligan returned to New York City. In 1932, he joined the Bowman-Biltmore organization as vice-president and managing director and was placed in charge of the New York Biltmore Hotel. The appointment brought Mulligan into senior management of the hotel organization established by John McEntee Bowman, who had served as president of Bowman-Biltmore Hotels until his death in 1931.

Mulligan's appointment followed several decades of experience in the hotel industry in the United States and Canada. Earlier in his career, he had worked as a room clerk at the Holland House and the Waldorf-Astoria in New York before holding management and executive positions with the Russell House in Ottawa, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway hotel system, and the Windsor Hotel in Montreal.

Both Mulligan and Bowman had worked at the Holland House during the early stages of their respective hotel careers. Bowman subsequently became president of Bowman-Biltmore Hotels, whose New York properties included the Biltmore and Hotel Commodore. Mulligan joined the organization in 1932, following Bowman's death the previous year.

Mulligan subsequently became president of Realty Hotels Inc., which operated several major Manhattan hotels, including the Hotel Biltmore, Hotel Commodore, Hotel Barclay, Roosevelt Hotel, Hotel Chatham, and the Park Lane Hotel. He later became chairman of the board.

By the end of his career, Mulligan had also held leadership positions in several hotel-industry organizations, including serving as president of the New York City Hotel Association and the Canadian Hotel Association. In its 1954 obituary, The New York Times described him as the "dean of North American hotelmen".

Civic and professional activities

In addition to his hotel management career, Mulligan held leadership positions in several professional and civic organizations. He served as president of the New York City Hotel Association and the Canadian Hotel Association and was a member of the American Hotel Association, the International Hotel Association, and the Hotel Association of the Province of Quebec.

Mulligan also served as a director of the New York Convention Bureau and as president and governor of the Fifth Avenue Association. His other affiliations included the Traffic Club of New York, the Hotel Greeters of America and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick.

Mulligan was a trustee of St. Patrick's Cathedral and was a Knight of Malta.

Association with the term "mulligan" Mulligan is associated with one of several published accounts concerning the origin of the golf term mulligan, referring to a replayed shot. According to accounts attributed to him, the term originated during a round of golf in Montreal in the early 1920s.

Later recollections, including those reported in The New York Times, place Mulligan within early use of the term in North American golf circles.

Personal life Mulligan was married twice. His first wife was Marie Zanone Hill, with whom he had one son, George B. Mulligan, born in 1905. She died shortly after the birth of their son.

In 1914, he married Jean Craig Mulligan in New York City. Their children included David B. Mulligan Jr., Deane Mulligan, and Jean Suzanne ("Suzy") Mulligan.

His daughter Suzy Mulligan was active in New York Cafe Society and worked as a performer at the Stork Club.

She married first American tennis champion Sidney Wood. She later married banking executive Leighton H. Coleman Jr.

Mulligan was related to Canadian hockey player Mike Grant Sr. and Wall Street financier M. Donald Grant.

Death

Mulligan died on December 27, 1954, at the Hotel Barclay in New York City following a long illness. At the time of his death, he was a retired chairman of the board of Realty Hotels Inc., the operator of the Biltmore, Barclay and Park Lane hotels.

His obituaries noted his long career in the hotel industry as well as his involvement in professional, civic and religious organizations. The New York Times reported that Mulligan had served as president of the New York City Hotel Association, president of the Canadian Hotel Association, a member of the American Hotel Association, a director of the New York Convention Bureau and president and governor of the Fifth Avenue Association. He was also identified as a trustee of St. Patrick's Cathedral and a Knight of Malta.

Mulligan was survived by his widow, Jean Craig Mulligan; two daughters, Mrs. Chris Matthews of Washington and Mrs. Sidney B. Wood Jr. of New York; and two sons, David B. Mulligan Jr. and George B. Mulligan.

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