Alexander McCulloch (25 October 1887 – 5 September 1951) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

who competed in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

Biography

McCulloch was born at

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, the son of

George McCulloch George McCulloch (February 22, 1792 – April 6, 1861) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. George McCulloch was born in Maysville, Kentucky. Upon the death of his ...

. His father, who was born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, made his fortune at

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and returned with his family to Britain about 1891 and set up home at 184 Queens Gate, London (demolished 1971). McCulloch attended

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

where he was a member of the Winchester College Boating Club (WCBC) and developed a keen interest and proficiency in rowing. He then went to

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...

. In 1907 he competed in, and was runner up to Captain Darell in the Diamond Sculls at

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

. In 1908 he rowed for

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in the

University Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's a ...

against Cambridge. Also in 1908, McCulloch, as a member of the

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior to ...

won the Diamond Sculls at Henley, beating

Athol Alexander Stuart Athol Alexander Paul Rees Stuart (born 1881) was an English oarsman who won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley, the Wingfield Sculls and the London Cup to achieve the rowing triple crown in 1909. Stuart was the son of Montague Pelham Stuart, o ...

. McCulloch was subsequently selected for the British Team and won the Silver Medal in the

single scull A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to minimi ...

rowing at the 1908 Summer Olympics At the 1908 Summer Olympics, four rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddli ...

. The winner of the Gold Medal was

Harry Blackstaffe Henry Thomas "Harry" Blackstaffe (28 July 1868 – 22 August 1951) was a British rower who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics. Blackstaffe was born in Islington, London, and became a butcher. He was a long-standing member of Vesta Rowing ...

of the

Vesta Rowing Club Vesta Rowing Club is a rowing club based on the Tideway of the River Thames in Putney, London, England. It was founded in 1870. Vesta organises two head races every year; the Scullers Head and the Veterans Head. History Foundation Vesta Rowing ...

who was twice McCulloch's age at the time and something of a sculling legend. The final was considered the finest race of the Olympic Regatta and was virtually level until the last 50 yards when Blackstaffe held on to a light advantage to become the oldest sculling champion in Olympic history Victory falling to the home crew in the Sculls, Pairs and Fours,

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

could claim a success in every event of the Olympic Regatta of 1908. McCulloch competed in the Diamond Challenge Sculls again in 1912, when he was runner up to Eric Powell. In later life McCulloch was one of the coaches of Jack Wilson and

Ran Laurie William George Ranald Mundell Laurie (4 May 1915 – 19 September 1998) was an English physician, Olympic rowing champion and gold medallist. He was the father of actor Hugh Laurie. Early life, education and rowing career Laurie was born in ...

.Private communication, the McCulloch family 22 February 2010. McCulloch died in England at the age of 63.

Portrait by John Singer Sargent

George McCulloch was an avid art collector and bought works by many pre-eminent pre-raphaelites and impressionists. Alexander McCulloch was himself the subject of a portrait called "On His Holidays... Norway" painted in 1901/1902 by

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

. At the time the McCullochs, accompanied by John Singer Sargent, were on a salmon fishing holiday in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

originally painted Alexander in a standing position holding a landing net but decided the portrait looked too contrived.

turned the canvas on its side and painted directly on top of the original portrait. Alexander is now portrayed laying his side at the side of a river in a more natural and relaxed pose. At the time of the portrait Alexander was a pupil at

, a Public School, and in the portrait the school tie can be seen serving as a belt for his trousers. The painting is now on display at the

Lady Lever Art Gallery The Lady Lever Art Gallery is a museum founded and built by the industrialist and philanthropist William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme and opened in 1922. The Lady Lever Art Gallery is set in the garden village of Port Sunlight, on the Wirral ...

in Merseyside, England. It was acquired by

Lord Leverhulme William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme , (, ; 19 September 1851 – 7 May 1925) was an English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician. Having been educated at a small private school until the age of nine, then at church school ...

, along with several other paintings, shortly after the death of George McCulloch.

, who regarded "On His Holidays...Norway" as his favourite painting, had for a long time tried to have his own portrait painted by

but without success.

References

* Alexander McCulloch's scrapbook – containing many newspaper cuttings about the rowing events in 1908.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCulloch, Alexander 1887 births 1951 deaths British male rowers Olympic rowers of Great Britain Rowers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain People educated at Winchester College Alumni of University College, Oxford Olympic medalists in rowing Members of Leander Club Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Oxford University Boat Club rowers

Biography

Portrait by John Singer Sargent

See also

References

External links