Jack Carkeek, (January 22, 1861 – March 12, 1924) was an American Cornish champion wrestler, from Rockland, Michigan. He died March 12, 1924, in Havana, Cuba. He was the son of Tom Carkeek and his mother was first cousin to the actor Sir Henry Irving. Tom was born in Plain-an-Gwarry, Redruth in Cornwall was said to weigh 17 stone, was a champion of Cornish wrestling in the 1860s and was the world Cornish wrestling champion in 1875. It was said that he won 528 consecutive Cornish wrestling matches without defeat and won 88 prizes. Jack made his first appearance at Michigamme, Michigan, on July 5, 1877, at age 16. There, he won the fourth prize in a tournament of 64 entries. In 1887, Jack Carkeek and John Pearce (the Cornish champion from Cornwall for five years) met for the World Championship of Cornish Wrestling in Redruth, Cornwall.

Wrestling career

Up until 1882, he wrestled just in Michigan, and then afterwards in Wisconsin, Iowa and Montana. At the beginning, he wrestled in tournaments, with a dozen or so other wrestlers, while later only wrestling in challenge matches for side money. In September, 1887 The Cornishman newspaper considered the challenges a ″farce, except in a business sense, that no one takes the least notice of these illusory wordy bravadoes.″ He also fought under the name Jack O'Brien.

1884

1885

1886

1887

1888

1889

Championships and accomplishments

Match fixing

In 1888 he was arrested in Chicago for two counts of swindling by means of a fake contests. Carkeek was a member of a swindling crew known as the Mabray gang. In 1910, while using the name of Jack Fletcher, he was arrested in San Francisco for participation in the fixing of wrestling matches. Carkeek spent two years in prison before the case was ultimately dismissed. In 1913 he pleaded guilty to attempted swindling and was sentenced to 6 months.