Background
Sears was the daughter of Boston businessman Frederick Richard Sears, a cousin of Henry Cabot Lodge, and a great-granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson.
Sears was the daughter of Boston businessman Frederick Richard Sears, a cousin of Henry Cabot Lodge, and a great-granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson.
Sears was raised in wealth and privilege. She was acquainted with Corinne Douglass Robinson, Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt, all related to President Theodore Roosevelt. Foreign a while she dated Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, the sporty scion of the Vanderbilt fortune.
In singles, she was a finalist in 1912, where she was beaten in straight sets by Mary Kendall Browne.
She teamed with Willis East. Davis to take the national mixed doubles championship in 1916. Eleonora Sears rode horses competitively and was elected to the United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1992.
She also owned and raced Thoroughbred horses. She was the first woman to play polo on a men’s team
She gained media attention for her long distance walks and hikes.
As well, she was one of the first American women to drive an automobile and fly a plane. Her habit of wearing trousers, both when competing in sports and in public, was criticized in media and social circles. Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)
Doubles: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
Mixed doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up).