There are few residents of the Mohawk valley, and particularly of Herkimer county, whose names have gone farther afield than has that of Frank J. Basloe, a young real estate dealer of Herkimer, who has attained an international reputation as a promoter of basket ball sport and whose celebrated "globe trotters" have won two world championships in basket ball, the adventures and journeyings of this remarkable team of alert young sportsmen having done wonders in the way of introducing Herkimer and central New York generally to the world. Mr. Basloe is of European birth, but has been a resident of this country and of Herkimer since he was a child. He was born in the city of Vienna, the brilliant capital of Austria, September 24, 1887, and is a son of Joseph and Hannah (Latobe) Basloe, who for many years have been residents of Herkimer. Joseph Basloe was born in Germany in 1859 and during the period of his active labors in Austria was employed in the sugar beet industry. When thirty-five years of age, in 1894, he came to America with his family and located in Herkimer, New York, where he ever since has resided and is one of the best known persons in that city. For about five years following his arrival here he was employed in the lumberyard of Diemel & Snell and then began working in the employ of the Mohawk and Malone Railroad. Not long afterward, with the financial aid of Frank Spohn, he opened a candy store in the building now occupied by his son as a real estate office, and in connection with this store began to operate lunch wagons throughout this region, a departure which grew so popular that it was not long until he had no fewer than fourteen such wagons in service, these covering the field from Utica to Schenectady. About fifteen years ago he sold this chain of wagons and became a speculator and dealer in real estate in Herkimer and presently erected the block in which he is now carrying on a retail grocery business, at the same time continuing his interest in his realty holdings. Formerly and for years Mr. Basloe took quite an active interest in local politics and has long been regarded as one of the leaders of the republican party in Herkimer county.
Frank J. Basloe was but seven years of age when he came with his parents to this country in 1894, and he grew up at Herkimer, quickly acquiring the ways and the speech of his adopted country, his training in the public schools of Herkimer making a thorough American of him. Upon leaving school he became associated with his father in business and was thus engaged until 1918, when he opened up in the realty line on his own account and has since been thus engaged at Herkimer, where he has been quite successful, one of the leaders in that line throughout this section of the state, his operations in real estate covering a wide territory hereabout. This real estate business has probably grown more rapidly than any similar business in central New York, his operations covering practically all of that territory. Mr. Basloe is a republican, is a member of the Herkimer Chamber of Commerce, is affiliated with Aeolian Lodge, No. 679, F. & A. M., at Oswego, and is a member of the local branch of the Royal Arcanum at Herkimer.
Though widely known as a realty dealer, it may be said that Mr. Basloe's greatest, or at least most widely recognized, title to fame is as a promoter of basketball, a diversion in the field of sport which engaged his attention for several years and in which he distinguished himself by winning two world championships for his celebrated "globe trotters". It was during the time he was associated with his father in business that Mr. Basloe took up this diversion and he maintained his interest in the novel adventure for several years. He got together a picked team of basket-ball players, which he kept strengthening from year to year and for more than ten years toured with this team all over the country, playing daily games with crack teams wherever dates could be made during the basket-ball season, these tours covering not only New York, but Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas and Montana, these engagements taking on enemy teams including the most widely known and best aggregations in the middle west and far west, and each contest was watched from afar with the keenest interest by all the basket-ball fans in central New York. As one of the local newspapers said at one time during the height of the popularity of this novel aggregation, "'Bas' is in a class by himself when it comes to arranging games, and nobody ever said he failed to make good." These "trots around the world", as they were called, proved to be not only fine advertisements for Herkimer and central New York, but, incidentally, proved to be a very valuable publicity act in behalf of the enthusiastic young promoter of the games, whose name became familiar not only in his own state but in sections of the country far remote.
On Christmas day of 1915, in Herkimer, Frank J. Basloe was united in marriage to Miss Rose Rothblum, and to this union four children have been born, namely: Irving Morris, born on December 10, 1917; Sheldon Samuel, born October 10, 1919; Eleanor Revia, born October 1, 1920; and Letrice, born February 8, 1923. Mrs. Basloe was born in the city of New York in 1893 and is a daughter of Philip and Sarah Rothblum, who are still living in that city.