Edgar Isaac Seligman (14 April 1867 – 27 September 1958) was a British

épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains ...

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

, and

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

fencer. After the family moved to London he became a British citizen by naturalisation. Seligman competed in five

Olympiads An olympiad ( el, Ὀλυμπιάς, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the ancient and modern Olympic Games. Although the ancient Olympics were established during Greece's Archaic Era, it was not unti ...

and won two

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

s as a member of the British fencing team despite not making his Olympic debut until age 39. At the

British Fencing Championships The British Fencing Championships are held annually to determine the British champion. The Championships are currently held at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield. The championships were not held during World War I, World War II and in 20 ...

, he won all of the divisions two times, making him the only competitor to accomplish this, although (

Bill Hoskyns Henry William Furse "Bill" Hoskyns MBE (19 March 1931 – 4 August 2013) was a British fencer who appeared at six Olympic Games., Fencing career Hoskyns, born in London won two silver medals in 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games. No British fence ...

has more combined titles).

Early and personal life

Belgian Steel Factory, Goldhawk Road, W12 - Workers Art

Seligman was born in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, in the United States, to German parents, and was Jewish. His father was Leopold Seligman. After his family moved to London, England, he became a British citizen by naturalisation. With the

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but su ...

, Seligman took part in the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

. His brother was

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Herbert Seligman who served in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. As a painter, Seligman had artwork shown at the

Fine Art Society The Fine Art Society is a gallery based in both London and in Edinburgh's New Town (originally Bourne Fine Art, established 1978). The New Bond Street, London gallery closed its doors in August 2018 after being occupied by The Fine Art Society si ...

and

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

Fencing career

British Championships

At the British Championships, Seligman won the epee event in 1904 and 1906. He later won the

event from 1906 to 1907 while also winning the

event in 1923 and 1924.

Intercalated Games

At the

1906 Intercalated Games The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games i ...

, Seligman competed in the team épée with Great Britain and won a silver medal.

1908 London Olympic Games

At 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 ...

, Seligman reached the first round in the individual épée while placing in second with the British team in the team épée.

1912 Stockholm Olympic Games

As captain, Seligman competed in three events during the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

. In individual events, Seligman came in sixth in both the foil and épée. With the British team, Seligman was second in the team épée.

1920 Antwerp Games

Seligman competed at the 1920 Antwerp Games as captain of the British fencing team. During these games, the British team were 5th in the épée and 7th in the foil.

1924 Paris Olympic Games

Seligman returned as captain of the British fencing team at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

. In individual events, Seligman reach the semifinals in the sabre and the final in the foil. For team events, Seligman and Great Britain made it to the quarterfinals. Seligman did not compete in the sabre or epee team events for Great Britain due to a leg injury that occurred in the foil event.

1928 and 1932 Olympic Games

At the

Art competitions at the 1928 Summer Olympics Art competitions were held as part of the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Medals were awarded in five categories (architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture), for works inspired by sport-related themes. The ...

and

Art competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics Art competitions were held as part of the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States. Medals were awarded in five categories (architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture), for works inspired by sport-related themes. Art com ...

, Seligman competed in the Mixed Painting Art Competitions.

References

External links

* *
British Olympic Association record

British Olympic Association bio

Jews in Sports bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seligman, Edgar 1867 births 1958 deaths British male fencers Jewish male épée fencers Jewish male foil fencers Jewish male sabre fencers Jewish British sportspeople British people of German-Jewish descent Olympic fencers of Great Britain Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Olympic medalists in fencing Medalists at the 1906 Intercalated Games Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1906 Intercalated Games Fencers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1920 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1924 Summer Olympics British Yeomanry soldiers Fencers from San Francisco Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom British artists Olympic competitors in art competitions

Early and personal life

Fencing career

British Championships

Intercalated Games

1908 London Olympic Games

1912 Stockholm Olympic Games

1920 Antwerp Games

1924 Paris Olympic Games

1928 and 1932 Olympic Games

See also

References

External links