Louis Tronchet

French-trained fencing master Louis Tronchet was hired to teach at San Francisco’s Olympic Club in 1888 after a successful and highly publicized match in New York City. Tronchet brought classic French technique to San Francisco and worked tirelessly to popularize the sport in the community by providing tournaments and exhibitions of a wide variety. He fought on stage with foils, broadswords, sabres and quarterstaff, to name but a few the weapons of which he was master.

He was very nearly roped into an actual duel with Generoso Pavese, an Italian master famous as the instructor of Teddy Roosevelt. Pavese, unhappy with the officiating during a San Francisco match with Tronchet, issued a public challenge to duel, which Tronchet ignored.

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Another event was a massive recreation of a Roman gladiatorial games that involved dozens of fencers and other local fencing instructors, wherein they presented a hugely popular show giving displays of various Roman-era fighting weapons and styles.

After suffering serious mental health issues and confinement to a sanitarium for a period of time, he seems to have died around the year 1903 after an accident with electricity while crossing a trolley rail in Sausalito, CA.

Articles

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The Sometime Unfortunate

The Sometime Unfortunate

Back in January I posted a story about the match between Generoso Pavese and Louis Tronchet in San Francisco that took place in 1899. (http://westcoastfencingarchive.com/2015/01/08/tronchet-vs-pavese/) This time I’d like to focus on the San Francisco career of Louis...

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Tronchet vs Pavese

Tronchet vs Pavese

I’ve been fascinated with Generoso Pavese since first finding his picture in an antique store many years ago. Looking at it, I can’t resist the tug on my brain

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