William Robert Orthwein (October 16, 1881 – October 2, 1955) was an American sportsman, attorney, business executive and political activist.
Early life
William Robert Orthwein was born on October 16, 1881. His father,
William D. Orthwein, was a German-born
grain merchant
The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...
.
Orthwein graduated from
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
.
While at Yale in November 1902, he was arrested on charges of assaulting a ticket seller for a Yale-Harvard football game;
[ ] one month later, he was fined for it.
[ ]
Orthwein competed in the
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...
as a
freestyle
Freestyle may refer to:
Brands
* Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe
* Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile
* Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine
* ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker
* Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...
and
backstroke swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
and
water polo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
player.
He won a bronze medal as a member of American 4x50-yard freestyle relay team and as a member of the
Missouri Athletic Club water polo team. He also finished fourth in the 100-yard backstroke.
Orthwein received a law degree from the
School of Law at
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
.
Career
Orthwein was an attorney.
[ ] He served as the vice president and general counsel of the Kinloch Telephone Company in 1920.
[ ] In that capacity, he refused to sell the business to the
Bell Telephone Company
The Bell Telephone Company, a common law joint stock company, was organized in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 9, 1877, by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize a sister company – the New Englan ...
.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he served as a supply commissioner for the City of St. Louis.
Meanwhile, Orthwein joined the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
.
In 1948, he ran unsuccessful for the nomination of lieutenant-governor.
[ ]
Personal life
Orthwein married Nina Kent Baldwin. They had a son,
William R. Orthwein, Jr.
Death
Orthwein died on October 2, 1955 at the
Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.
References
See also
*
List of athletes with Olympic medals in different disciplines
The List of athletes with Olympic medals in different sports is a list of athletes who have won medals in two different sports at the Olympic Games.
The list
This table is sorted by individual total gold medals.
Table with arts competitions
...
*
List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
This is the complete list of men's Olympic medalists in swimming.
Men's events 50 metre freestyle
100 metre freestyle
200 metre freestyle
400 metre freestyle
800 metre freestyle
1500 metre freestyle
100 metre backstroke
200 metre ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orthwein, William R.
1881 births
1955 deaths
Lawyers from St. Louis
Sportspeople from St. Louis
Washington University School of Law alumni
Missouri Republicans
American male backstroke swimmers
American male freestyle swimmers
American male water polo players
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming
Olympic medalists in water polo
Olympic water polo players of the United States
Swimmers at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Water polo players at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Yale Bulldogs men's swimmers
20th-century American lawyers
American business executives
American people of German descent
Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Orthwein business family