J. C. Doesburg author page
5 pre-Shortz crosswords by J. C. Doesburg (1869-1943)
J. C. Doesburg constructed the eighth-ever crossword in the Times, which appeared on April 5, 1942. A native of the Netherlands, he was one of the first Times constructors — if not the first — born outside the United States. He was also one of the first Times constructors whose first language (Dutch) was not English.
He was 72 and a seasoned constructor when the Times started publishing crosswords. He is the only Times constructor known to be born before 1870. To put it in context, he was five years older than Margaret Farrar's mother.
John Constant Doesburg was born on November 22, 1869 in the Netherlands. When he was about 20, he emigrated to the United States. In 1891, he enlisted in the Marines Corps, where he was stationed on Mare Island in California and later aboard the U.S.S. San Francisco, including when it was the flagship of the Navy's North Atlantic Squadron.
By 1897, he had left the service and settled in Amsterdam, New York, located about 35 miles northwest of Albany. He married twice and had two children, a daughter and a son. Over the course of 40 years in Amsterdam, he worked as a shoe salesman, furniture merchant, streetcar conductor, and bookkeeper.
As a crossword constructor, he was published throughout the 1930s in the New York Herald Tribune syndicate, with puzzles appearing as early as 1932.
In the Times, he had a total of five crosswords. His last puzzle was published in September, 1943. Three months later, he passed away at the age of 74.
| L | I | N | O | S | A | A | T | A | S | A | B | E | L | A | T | A | M | A | N | |||
| I | T | A | L | I | A | L | A | M | P | E | D | U | S | A | S | I | C | I | L | Y | ||
| C | A | P | T | O | R | A | L | E | U | T | I | A | N | S | S | T | E | L | L | A | ||
| A | L | L | N | O | E | S | S | N | U | G | E | C | C | A | S | A | I | S | ||||
| T | U | E | S | N | I | K | E | K | I | E | L | A | L | M | A | N | E | S | ||||
| A | S | S | E | T | R | A | T | E | I | K | R | A | C | O | O | S | A | |||||
| G | A | G | E | T | R | I | P | O | L | I | P | A | R | A | ||||||||
| R | A | G | U | S | A | L | A | N | C | A | S | T | E | R | G | I | R | A | U | D | ||
| A | M | I | S | O | F | A | S | E | N | T | V | E | R | A | S | I | N | E | ||||
| J | A | B | S | L | A | T | H | S | T | U | B | T | U | R | K | R | I | M | ||||
| A | T | R | I | P | R | E | E | S | E | N | U | R | E | S | A | R | A | T | I | |||
| E | A | S | E | N | E | A | P | O | L | I | T | A | N | S | M | I | C | A | ||||
| A | R | L | E | S | E | N | T | A | I | L | T | I | T | I | A | G | O | R | A | |||
| L | A | T | O | I | S | E | S | L | E | W | N | I | A | S | A | B | I | B | ||||
| I | S | A | R | P | E | R | T | E | R | I | A | O | N | U | S | R | A | E | ||||
| M | U | R | I | D | S | S | A | C | R | I | S | T | A | N | B | E | S | A | N | T | ||
| O | R | E | L | A | L | S | A | T | I | A | A | S | T | I | ||||||||
| P | A | R | M | A | A | B | L | E | A | M | E | N | I | L | M | E | N | |||||
| O | M | O | A | S | S | E | F | L | A | G | S | M | I | T | K | I | L | O | ||||
| M | I | B | S | E | T | N | A | A | L | A | N | B | L | U | R | R | A | N | ||||
| P | E | E | P | E | R | I | N | A | M | O | R | A | T | O | R | O | T | A | T | E | ||
| E | N | R | A | P | T | T | O | R | P | E | D | O | E | S | I | M | A | G | E | S | ||
| I | S | T | R | I | A | O | N | E | S | A | S | K | S | N | E | W | E | S | T |
| M | A | H | A | T | M | A | N | I | H | O | N | G | I | A | L | A | M | O | R | T | ||
| A | R | A | B | I | A | N | A | T | A | M | A | N | S | S | A | M | U | R | A | I | ||
| R | O | M | A | N | C | E | P | A | R | A | G | U | A | K | R | E | M | L | I | N | ||
| I | L | L | T | E | N | T | L | O | T | A | B | R | A | S | S | A | N | D | ||||
| A | S | E | A | S | T | A | B | I | L | E | B | E | I | R | A | I | N | I | A | |||
| N | E | T | Z | E | B | E | A | D | V | O | L | T | I | B | O | D | E | R | ||||
| A | N | S | O | N | A | L | A | N | P | E | L | L | A | M | E | D | O | R | O | |||
| F | E | T | T | E | R | T | A | N | T | A | N | E | R | I | ||||||||
| B | E | L | M | A | I | D | M | I | N | U | S | B | A | T | A | N | G | A | S | |||
| A | M | E | R | I | C | A | K | E | A | T | S | M | E | T | E | R | A | N | A | |||
| S | O | V | I | E | T | H | O | A | R | E | S | O | R | A | S | E | T | A | M | |||
| I | T | E | M | S | G | U | A | D | A | L | C | A | N | A | L | M | A | L | M | O | ||
| L | I | R | E | S | A | L | L | E | L | O | V | A | T | N | A | V | I | E | S | |||
| A | V | E | S | I | T | K | A | D | E | L | O | S | D | E | F | E | N | S | E | |||
| N | E | T | S | U | K | E | S | B | A | R | I | N | T | I | T | I | G | E | T | |||
| A | L | E | S | L | E | N | I | N | R | O | D | E | O | S | ||||||||
| I | T | A | L | U | S | C | A | N | E | A | K | O | T | O | S | A | M | A | R | |||
| M | I | L | E | S | L | O | G | E | S | M | A | T | E | O | R | A | L | E | ||||
| P | R | I | M | R | I | V | E | T | C | O | L | O | M | B | O | A | N | A | M | |||
| R | A | M | W | E | B | E | R | T | E | L | I | S | U | C | H | I | M | O | ||||
| E | L | E | V | A | T | E | L | A | I | R | I | N | G | S | C | U | L | L | E | R | ||
| S | E | N | E | G | A | L | O | C | E | A | N | I | A | E | U | L | A | L | I | A | ||
| S | E | T | T | E | R | S | F | E | R | M | E | N | T | O | R | L | E | A | N | S |
| A | R | A | F | U | R | A | A | L | A | M | E | I | N | B | I | Z | E | R | T | E | ||
| M | A | R | I | N | E | S | P | A | L | E | R | M | O | A | P | E | R | I | E | S | ||
| A | B | I | T | I | B | I | O | V | E | R | A | P | T | T | I | R | A | D | E | S | ||
| P | I | A | T | E | D | S | E | X | I | T | S | H | A | L | O | O | P | E | ||||
| A | N | D | A | L | E | T | O | A | T | O | M | A | A | S | A | T | E | N | ||||
| L | E | N | I | N | S | O | L | A | N | S | P | E | N | N | A | Z | T | E | C | |||
| A | T | E | L | E | S | W | A | L | D | M | I | T | T | C | H | O | O | S | E | |||
| S | A | M | P | F | O | R | M | O | S | A | S | L | A | V | ||||||||
| C | E | A | L | Y | R | A | D | I | A | N | A | T | A | I | S | A | L | E | ||||
| A | C | R | E | R | U | S | T | A | C | I | A | R | N | O | S | L | A | T | ||||
| M | O | R | G | E | N | T | H | A | U | A | C | A | D | I | A | C | H | U | T | E | ||
| E | N | I | G | M | A | A | U | S | T | R | A | L | I | A | S | E | I | M | A | S | ||
| R | O | V | E | S | I | M | P | O | R | T | B | O | L | S | H | E | V | I | K | I | ||
| O | M | E | R | F | L | E | E | A | H | T | S | O | H | O | A | S | I | A | ||||
| N | E | D | C | O | L | D | S | L | U | R | S | G | O | N | A | H | A | N | ||||
| A | L | U | S | A | C | E | R | A | T | E | T | A | N | A | ||||||||
| A | M | A | D | O | R | O | B | O | E | N | O | L | A | N | O | R | M | A | L | |||
| M | O | P | E | D | F | R | E | T | P | S | A | L | M | S | L | I | A | N | E | |||
| E | L | A | N | F | R | A | T | T | I | P | S | E | N | S | D | I | T | A | ||||
| R | O | M | P | L | A | N | B | O | S | O | M | S | I | T | E | D | O | N | ||||
| I | T | A | L | I | A | N | L | A | T | E | R | A | N | P | O | R | T | E | N | D | ||
| C | O | M | E | T | I | C | E | L | E | C | T | R | A | E | U | G | E | N | I | E | ||
| A | V | A | T | A | R | S | S | A | M | O | S | E | T | S | P | O | N | S | O | R |
| C | O | L | O | G | N | E | L | A | C | O | S | T | E | F | A | S | C | I | S | T | ||
| A | L | A | M | E | I | N | O | R | A | T | I | O | N | E | N | H | A | N | C | E | ||
| S | T | R | A | N | D | S | F | L | I | T | T | E | D | A | S | U | N | D | E | R | ||
| P | E | D | E | G | I | L | I | R | E | S | U | H | L | A | N | I | N | N | ||||
| I | N | E | Z | E | L | E | A | N | O | R | I | R | A | T | E | D | A | T | A | |||
| A | I | R | E | D | E | I | G | G | S | I | C | I | L | Y | F | I | N | E | R | |||
| N | A | S | S | A | U | S | E | T | I | L | O | N | E | D | R | E | A | R | Y | |||
| T | I | P | S | N | O | T | H | I | N | G | S | E | A | T | ||||||||
| N | E | W | S | R | E | E | L | N | A | I | A | S | S | P | A | N | M | E | G | |||
| O | B | I | I | N | R | O | S | L | T | D | C | H | U | R | C | H | I | L | L | |||
| S | U | R | E | D | A | R | E | F | U | L | J | O | A | N | I | O | N | I | A | |||
| T | R | I | A | D | S | R | O | O | S | E | V | E | L | T | A | S | S | E | S | S | ||
| R | I | N | S | E | P | I | U | S | R | E | T | O | T | A | L | E | R | I | S | |||
| U | N | G | E | N | T | E | E | L | M | I | N | R | E | C | A | P | V | O | E | |||
| M | E | S | M | A | R | S | P | A | S | I | G | R | U | S | S | I | A | N | S | |||
| T | A | N | K | G | E | R | M | A | N | S | S | K | A | T | ||||||||
| A | N | K | A | R | A | D | E | A | N | L | E | O | N | A | L | E | U | T | S | |||
| M | I | N | S | K | L | A | N | C | E | R | I | H | I | S | M | A | N | U | A | |||
| A | M | E | S | R | A | N | E | E | I | M | S | O | N | I | C | S | I | N | U | |||
| L | I | E | A | I | D | E | R | B | L | A | E | A | L | A | R | F | I | R | ||||
| G | E | L | A | B | L | E | A | B | A | L | O | N | E | A | R | E | N | O | S | E | ||
| A | T | E | L | I | E | R | L | I | B | E | R | A | L | G | O | N | E | R | I | L | ||
| M | Y | R | I | A | D | S | S | T | A | D | I | U | M | E | N | I | G | M | A | S |
| S | T | I | M | S | O | N | I | S | A | B | E | L | A | D | E | J | E | C | T | S | ||
| P | U | C | E | L | L | E | L | I | T | E | R | A | L | O | R | A | T | O | R | Y | ||
| E | N | E | M | I | E | S | I | N | H | E | R | I | T | L | A | V | A | G | E | S | ||
| C | I | L | M | I | T | T | G | E | R | S | A | N | E | T | A | N | A | T | ||||
| I | S | A | R | N | O | R | M | A | N | S | B | R | U | N | O | C | A | T | O | |||
| A | I | N | U | S | R | E | A | P | S | C | R | E | P | T | R | A | T | E | L | |||
| L | A | D | L | E | S | N | E | O | G | L | E | D | E | R | E | V | E | R | E | |||
| E | N | A | C | T | R | A | L | E | S | S | I | E | V | E | ||||||||
| C | A | R | R | O | L | L | R | E | P | E | A | T | S | A | T | E | E | R | A | |||
| A | L | E | R | O | U | G | E | E | E | R | L | E | N | I | N | G | R | A | D | |||
| R | A | M | E | N | E | R | V | E | S | S | I | A | M | A | G | N | A | M | E | |||
| A | B | O | M | A | S | E | E | P | O | T | I | S | E | A | S | E | L | |||||
| C | A | V | I | T | E | E | R | I | S | S | N | E | L | L | S | R | U | S | A | |||
| A | M | E | R | I | C | A | N | S | T | A | E | R | Y | O | T | S | R | E | I | |||
| S | A | D | M | A | D | E | L | A | T | E | R | S | P | O | E | T | E | S | S | |||
| B | O | D | E | D | A | L | O | N | E | S | E | R | A | I | ||||||||
| B | A | R | O | N | S | A | T | R | I | P | G | A | T | E | M | B | E | R | S | |||
| A | R | E | A | S | S | I | R | E | N | M | I | R | E | D | S | E | R | O | W | |||
| I | S | T | S | P | E | R | I | S | G | O | M | P | E | R | S | R | O | S | A | |||
| L | E | I | D | A | N | A | E | P | U | L | E | P | A | P | A | D | A | N | ||||
| I | N | N | A | R | D | S | S | T | Y | L | I | N | G | M | E | N | D | E | R | S | ||
| F | A | U | N | U | L | E | T | A | R | A | N | T | O | A | N | T | O | N | I | O | ||
| F | L | E | D | G | E | S | E | V | E | R | E | S | T | S | T | A | N | T | O | N |