Ellery Harding Clark (March 13, 1874 – July 27, 1949) was an American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete and a writer. He was the first modern

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

champion in

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

and

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

.Clark, Former Olympic Champion, Dies at 75, ''Daily Southern Independent Illinoisan'', July 27, 1949

Biography

Clark is the only person to have won both the Olympic high jump and long jump. Clark achieved it in 1896, at the

first modern Olympics The 1896 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 1896, Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 1896), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 1ης Ολυμπιάδας, Agónes tis 1is Ol ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. A

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

student, he was given a leave of absence to compete because of his high grades - in contrast to another gold medal winner from Harvard,

James Connolly James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the a ...

. Clark was one of the top all-around athletes from 1893 to 1912. In the long jump, Clark had used his hat to mark his runway. Twice the judge ( King Constantine of Greece) had removed the hat, saying this was a practice of professionals. Only at the third attempt, and without the hat, did Clark achieve a valid jump, good enough for gold. His final jump was of 6.35 meters. Clark later won the high jump as well, clearing 1.81 meters. The closest competitors were fellow Americans Connolly and

Robert Garrett Robert S. Garrett (May 24, 1875 – April 25, 1961) was an American athlete, as well as investment banker and philanthropist in Baltimore, Maryland and financier of several important archeological excavations. Garrett was the first modern Ol ...

at 1.65 meters. In the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

, Clark was among the bottom three of the seven-man field. He never won a national championship in either jump, but he was the 1897 and 1903 AAU champion in the all-around, an event similar to the

decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in Athletics (sport), athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek language, Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ...

. He won the 1897 American all-around championship with performances that would have won him the 1896 Olympic

, and

, and probably the 100 m sprint and the

110 m hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurd ...

as well. Ellery also competed in the

1904 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 ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, in the all-around competition. Although he had to abandon the contest after five events due to

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

, he was still classed sixth. At age 32, he was still winning major meets. He competed as a

walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

until the age of 56. Clark's professional life was equally varied. He excelled as an author, lawyer, track coach, teacher and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

city alderman. He wrote 19 books including one which was made into a 1952 film, ''

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

''. In 1904 he married Mary Victoria Maddelena, a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

. The engagement and subsequent marriage caused something of a stir in the press - Clark was a millionaire and Maddalena from the 'South end slums'.Like a Fairy Story, ''Baltimore Sun'', May 8, 1904 He died on a train en route from Boston to his home at Cohasset. He was inducted into the USATF Hall of Fame in 1991.

References

External links

*
The First Americans at the Olympic Games by Ellery Clark
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Ellery Harding 1874 births 1949 deaths 19th-century sportsmen American male decathletes American male high jumpers American male long jumpers Athletes (track and field) at the 1896 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1904 Summer Olympics Harvard Crimson men's track and field athletes Medalists at the 1896 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic male high jumpers People from West Roxbury, Boston Track and field athletes from Boston