Carroll Chase

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Carroll Chase

Dr. Carroll Chase (1878-1960) achieved fame within the philatelic community for his studies of U.S. and French stamps and their postal markings. His depth of knowledge of both countries’ postal history was remarkable. He published numerous articles and a book based on his plating of the U.S. 3-cent 1851, and his plating of the French 25-centimes 1871 issues, and he published the first authoritative article on U.S. cancellations (1908). The France and Colonies Group, the Royal Philatelic Society of London, the American Philatelic Society, and the Collectors Club of New York each honored this distinctive scholar. His donation to the Smithsonian Institution included U.S. 1851-1861 3-cent George Washington regular issues and color charts for the U. S. 1851-1861 3-cent George Washington issues.

Dr. Chase earned a medical degree from Long Island College Hospital at age 19, and he joined the French Army as a surgeon in 1915, before the United States entered the war. His interest in French philately drew him back to France numerous times after the war, and he lived there between 1929 and the German invasion in 1939-1940. Upon returning to the United States, he practiced medicine in New York City, specializing in radium therapy.

Mary T. Sheahan, National Postal Museum