Herbert Alfred Gidney (November 16, 1881 – March 26, 1963) was an American
athlete
An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance.
Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...
.
He competed in the
men's high jump 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 ...
.
Biography
Gidney was born on November 16, 1881, in
Boston, Massachusetts.
He attended
Malden High School
Malden High School is a public high school in Malden, Massachusetts. Established in 1857, the school is part of the Malden Public Schools and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
A 2013 study conduc ...
, at which he played
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
and "had a good record."
[ ] Afterwards, he began playing several sports for the local Malden Y. M. C. A. team, having joined them by at least 1899.
He played in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
(at
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
), being described as the best player they ever had, in athletics, and in baseball.
He set many local records, including by 1905 the area pole vault and running high dive marks.
Gidney set what was at the time the national Y. M. C. A. record in the running high jump, with a jump of 6 feet, 1 3/4 inches.
He later set two more national records.
[ ] He competed with Malden until 1906.
Gidney won the B. A. A. athletic tournament in 1904.
By 1905, he had won the pole vault and running high jump championships of New England.
He continued to win the New England championships every year through at least 1910.
Gidney joined the
Boston Athletic Association
The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit, running-focused, organized sports association for the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Marathon, the ...
in the early 1900s, and was a member of their famous 1905 team, of which he was the last to retire.
[ ] By 1906, he had come to be regarded as among the best high jumpers nationally, having won that year's
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...
(AAU) indoor championship.
He placed second in the AAU outdoor championship, repeated in 1907, and placed third the following year.
Gidney broke the Boston Athletic Association high jump record in 1908.
In 1909, he competed at the Canadian national championships and won two events.
He retired in 1912 from athletics.
Gidney had collected over 250 trophies from tournaments won by that time.
Gidney was selected to represent the United States 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 ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in the
men's high jump event.
At first, he placed third in his heat and was eliminated, losing to
Otto Monsen of Norway and
Edward Leader of England.
Afterwards, he complained about the conditions of where he jumped.
As a report in the ''
Warren Evening Mirror'' said, "H. A. Gidney was defeated by Monson of Norway and Leader of England, but after the other sections had concluded a protest was entered on the ground that the spot where the other sections were contended were more favorable than the first section."
His protest was upheld and he was allowed to jump again, and won the heat.
However, in the finals he was only able to reach fifth place.
![Herbert A](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Herbert_A._Gidney-1918.png)
An article from the ''
Montpelier Morning Journal'' described him as follows: "Few, if any, athletes in New England have ever won more championships than Herbert A. Gidney ... Certain it is that no track or field man ever lifted himself into such widespread popularity or given such repeated evidences of his worth on many field of competition, both here and abroad ... He has repeatedly conceded liberal handicaps in his favorite event, and his consistent worth is readily seen from the fact that he has won more prizes from scratch than any athlete in New England, with the probable exception of
Bill Coe. Over 250 trophies of his prowess adorn his home, prizes representing victories over athletes of the highest calibre in this and other lands. He is the type of athlete whose temperament is such that to know him is but to regard him personally as well as for his athletic talents. Never ostentatious, modest in speech as well, his friends are numbered in legions, while his ability is recognized wherever athletics hold sway. His reputation will live long after he has forsaken the jumping path, for Herbert Gidney, has come to be regarded by all as a gentleman, an athlete, a champion."
During the later stages of his athletic career, Gidney worked as an auditor for the Malden & Melrose Gas Company.
He served in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, as part of the 2nd Battalion, 151st Depot Brigade from
Camp Devens
Fort Devens is a United States Army Reserve military installation in the towns of Ayer and Shirley, in Middlesex County and Harvard in Worcester County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Due to extensive environmental contamination it was l ...
.
He eventually became the commander of a brigade and reached the rank of
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
. He also served as the chief of finance in the ordnance department of the Army, being named a
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
.
Following the war, Gidney became the chief accounting officer of
Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger ...
in 1920.
In 1925, he became a comptroller, and in 1933, he was made vice president.
He became a company director in 1941.
Gidney lived in
Venice, Florida
Venice is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The city includes what locals call "Venice Island", a portion of the mainland that is accessed via bridges over the artificially created Intracoastal Waterway. The city is located in Sou ...
, for the last years of his life, and died at a hospital in
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
in 1963, at the age of 81.
[ ]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gidney, Herbert
1881 births
1963 deaths
Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics
American male high jumpers
Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
Track and field athletes from Boston
Olympic male high jumpers