Romeo Hagen
Name: Romeo Hagen
Alias: The Beautiful Baker
Birth Name: Romeo Matthew Hagan
Hometown: Seattle, Washington, USA
Birthplace: Seattle, Washington, USA
Died: 1951-08-31 (Age:61)
Pro Boxer: Record
Division: Middleweight
Manager: ? Lindberg
Photo 2; Photo 3; Photo of Hagen in his later years.
Romeo Hagen was the brother of fellow boxer Ed Hagen. Newspapers, and Hagen himself, claimed that he had fought some 200 bouts by December 1915. He was often referred to by local newspapers as "The Beautiful Baker."
Hagen was a bit of a character. In October 1914, he was arrested for assaulting some pedestrians on a downtown Seattle street. [1]. In early 1916, he was serving some 50 days in jail for having a wild New Year's Eve and assaulting a police officer. [2][3]. See also the November 22, 1917 Tacoma Times article [4] regarding rumors that he was retiring from boxing. Other articles: [5][6]
Hagen served in the US military during the Great War (World War I). At first, he had been turned down for enlistment because of his battered ears, nose and face, and placed on the "slacker list." By October 1917 his desire to enlist reportedly had been turned down three times. [7] (Earlier, he had been arrested for failing to appear for his physical exam. August 12, 1918 Spokane Daily Chronicle [8].) The May 22, 1919 Tacoma News Tribune reported Hagen's return to Washington state, after serving with the 91st Division as a sergeant in France, where he had been engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
According to 2009 research of Ancestry.com, a Romeo Matthew Hagan had been born in Seattle on August 18, 1890. His draft registration for World War I confirms this, and he listed his occupation as a baker. It is suspected that his family was of Norwegian heritage.
Factoids
- The May 29, 1914 Tacoma Daily News reported he was getting a license at nearby Centralia, WA, to marry Miss Iva Baker of Mayfield, WA. See also [9]
- Hagen fought on the same February 26, 1915, Pocatello, Idaho show with future Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey.
- By late 1915, he was working in an Aberdeen, WA, lumber mill. His manager at the time was Richard L. McQuade.
- At one point during his career, Hagen had quit boxing when a police officer mistakenly clubbed him over the head and fractured his skull.