Harry Francis Vincent Edward (15 April 1898 – 8 July 1973) was a British runner. He competed in the 100 and 200 m 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp and won bronze medals in both events, becoming the first black person to gain Olympic medals. He injured himself during the 200 m final and therefore withdrew from the 4 × 100 m relay. Within the UK Edward won the

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championships in the 100 yd and 220 yd in 1920–1922, and in 1922 also took the 440 yd title.

Personal life

The only son of a Guyanese father and German mother, a Prussian piano teacher, Edward was raised in Germany. His father had left Dominica as a cabin boy and then worked in Germany in a circus and then as the maitre d' in Berlin restaurants. He had one sister, Irene. Brought up and educated in Germany, he spoke English, German and French and was noted for his athletic and academic ability. He was married twice: to Antoinette Kohler Regner, a Swiss national, in 1922 with one stepson, the marriage failed in 1931 after he emigrated to the United States in 1923; and to Gladys Hirst in 1938 with whom he had a son. In 1973 he died after suffered a heart attack when visiting his sister in Germany.

Athletic career

In June 1914, when he was 16, he competed in an athletics meeting held in the stadium built for the 1916 Olympics and won the 200m and was placed second in the 100m to the German champion. However, when the

First World War 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 ...

started, from 1915 he was imprisoned as a prisoner of war at

Ruhleben internment camp Ruhleben internment camp was a civilian detention camp in Germany during World War I. It was located in Ruhleben, a former ''Vorwerk'' manor to the west of Berlin, now split between the districts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. The ...

in Germany for the majority of World War I. Although initially he was able to participate in sports days and made lasting friendships, conditions became poor, especially towards the end of the war, in terms of both food and the attitude of the Germans to the prisoners. In late 1918 Edward was released from the camp and emigrated to Great Britain. he arrived in London, and, having gained qualifications while in the camp, became a teacher of German and French. He also became involved with amateur athletics again. He was successful at his first track meeting at Stamford Bridge. He was so successful at the sprint events at the

Amateur Athletics Association The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA (pronounced 'three As') is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880. Historically it effectively oversaw athletics throughout Britai ...

meeting in 1920 that he was selected for the 100m, 200m and sprint relay team at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games. He reached the final of the 100m and 200m and gained a bronze medal in both, becoming the first black person to gain an Olympic medal. The start of the 100m race was confused with several competitors left at the starting line. He competed in British AAA meetings in 1921 and 1922. He won many races, including ones he was invited to enter. However, in 1922, in the main AAA meeting, he gained first place in the 100, 200 and 400-yard finals, when the finals in all these races were run within one hour. This achievement has never been superseded. His success was congratulated in person by

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

. In 1923 he was invited to compete in New York's

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

so emigrated to the USA. However his athletics performance in the USA was less successful.

Life in America

He moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, returning to

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after he had divorced and remarried. He initially worked at the Federal Theatre Project as an administrator, that included in 1936 the first staging of Macbeth with a black cast directed by John Houseman and

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

. During the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

he worked for the

Office of Price Administration The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money (price contr ...

and organised rationing. When the war ended worked for the

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but representing 44 nations. Founded in November 1943, it was dissolved in September 1948. it became part o ...

and was sent to Greece. He subsequently worked for the New York Employment Office until he retired in the late 1960s. He continued as a volunteer including working abroad. He went to Vietnam to initiate a US sponsored foster-children programme. He also greeted worked dignitaries visiting the UN and the New York mayor's office.

Legacy

The Harry Edward Papers, including correspondence, photographs, and other personal papers, are curated at the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans. They include his autobiography ''When I Passed the Statue of Liberty I Became Black''. For a more complete description, see th
finding aid
for the collection.

References

External links

The remarkable story of Harry Edward: Britain’s first black Olympian
in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Edward, Harry 1898 births 1973 deaths British male sprinters German male sprinters Black British sportspeople Athletes (track and field) at the 1920 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Great Britain Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain Athletes from Berlin German people of Guyanese descent English people of Guyanese descent English people of German descent Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) English expatriates in the United States German expatriates in the United States Federal Theatre Project people