PIONEER SERIES
Greg Bounds, Taffi Fisher, bust of Mel Fisher, John
Potter, Jr., John Potter, III at Mel Fisher Museum
Capt. Carl “Fizz” Fismer and John Potter
JOHN S. POTTER, JR.:
Author & Adventurer
PASSES AT 89
Article by Ellsworth Boyd
Photos by David Crooks
John S. Potter, Jr., pioneer diver and eminent author,
passed the bar in January, 2014 at his home in Martha’s
Vineyard, Massachusetts. He was 89 years old.
Although credited with many accomplishments during
his lifetime, Potter will always be hailed as the “father of
treasure ship research” for his best seller, “The Treasure Diver’s
Guide.” Written in 1960 and reprinted throughout the years,
the 28 chapter, 500-page compendium became the bible
for famous salvors Mel Fisher, Bob Marx, Bob Weller, Carl
Fismer and many others. “The Treasure Divers of Virgo Bay”
runs a close second. This was Potter’s personal chronicle of
the search for a 1702 Spanish armada sunk in a battle off the
coast of Spain while transporting millions of dollars in gold
and silver.
Born in California to John S. Potter, Sr., and Edna Lee
Booker, John, Jr. spent his early years in Shanghai, China,
where his father was an international businessman. At age
15, Potter returned to the United States and attended St.
Georges School, Newport, Rhode Island. He continued on to
Harvard, but his education was interrupted by WWII when
he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. A graduate of the
Navy’s foreign language center--with expertise in advanced
Mandarin—Potter worked in the Office of Naval Intelligence,
Washington, DC, until his discharge in 1946. He completed
his degree at Harvard one year later.
He rejoined his father in Shanghai where he consulted
with insurance companies and other businesses that traded
internationally. When the Communists took over China in
1949, he withstood an interrogation by local authorities
that questioned his father’s work. Fearful of political
repercussions, he smuggled his father out of the country,
but remained to close out company business. By 1951, it was
time to leave. He worked in Hong Kong for awhile, but settled
in Spain where he learned to dive.
Having experienced treasure hunts in Spain, Potter
returned to New York when he penned his first book about
Virgo Bay and then wrote his renowned treasure guide. He
met and married Joan Coles in the Big Apple and swept
her away to Hong Kong where he worked for the Bulova
38 SCUBAH2OMAG.COM
This column, written by
distinguished diver and author
Ellsworth Boyd, is a tribute to
the pioneers who blazed the
path that others followed. In
recognition of their achievements,
we salute them monthly
Watch Company from 1962 to 1969. His son, John Stauffer,
III, William N.H. “Skipper,” and Robert L.C. Potter were all born
in Hong Kong. After a stint with Union Carbide Corporation
in Singapore, he returned to Hong Kong and established his
own company that featured advanced training programs for
entrepreneurs who wanted to do business in Asia and the
Pacific Rim.
In 1997, the world traveler and his wife settled in
Martha’s Vineyard where they could entertain their
grandchildren. Potter was honored in 2002 at the grand
opening of the Galician Museum of the Sea, Virgo, Spain. It
was here years ago that he and other divers retrieved the
bodies of drowned fishermen from the village of Moana.
Museum officials presented the humble honoree with a
memorial plaque, a silver statue of a captain at the wheel
of his ship and a key to the city.
The popular coin collector and dealer appeared at many
coin shows, particularly the F.U.N. gatherings in Orlando,
Florida. His contemporaries relished in Potter’s stories of
foreign intrigue and tales of treasures lost and found. Ernie
Richards, a coin expert from West Palm Beach said, “John
was a dear friend to many, especially those of us in the coin
fraternity. His knowledge and achievements were impressive
and I speak for many when I say we were fortunate to have
known this fine gentleman.”
Captain Carl “Fizz” Fismer, an accomplished and highly
respected salvor said, “John and I met two years ago when
we made presentations at one of Margaret Weller’s treasure
seminars. When I finished mine, John paid me one of the
nicest compliments I’ve ever received since I started giving
talks years ago. And since he had collaborated on research for
his books with my late friend Jack Haskins, we had common
grounds for a long, interesting discussion. It was
an honor and privilege to have met him.
Potter is survived by his wife, three sons, five grandchildren and a sister. A memorial service was held in June, 2014
and his ashes were spread over his two favorite sites: East
Chop at the north end of Martha’s Vineyard and the treasure
galleon Nuestra Senora De Atocha near Key West, Florida.