Henri Julius Reverony Saint Cyr (15 March 1902 – 27 July 1979) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

officer and

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

. Competing in five consecutive Olympics, he won two gold medals in dressage in 1952, and two gold medals in 1956.

Early life

Saint Cyr was born on 15 March 1902 in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

, Sweden, the son of Lieutenant Esaias Saint Cyr and his wife Tyra (née Andersson).

Military career

Saint Cyr was commissioned as an officer in

Svea Artillery Regiment The Svea Artillery Regiment ( sv, Svea artilleriregemente), designation A 1, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from S ...

(A 1) with the rank of ''

Fänrik ''Fänrik'' () ( en, second lieutenant in the Swedish Army/Air Force, Acting sub-lieutenant in the Navy) is a company grade officer rank. In the army/airforce, it ranks above sergeant and below lieutenant. In the navy, it ranks above sergeant and ...

'' in 1924. He attended the

Artillery and Engineering College Artillery and Engineering College ( sv, Artilleri- och ingenjörhögskolan, AIHS) was a Swedish Army training establishment active between 1878 and 1992, providing courses for artillery officers. It was located within the Stockholm Garrison in Sto ...

from 1926 to 1928 when he was promoted to Lieutenant. Saint Cyr then attended the Army Riding School from 1928 to 1929, from 1931 to 1932 and from 1934 to 1936. He served as a teacher at the Army Riding School from 1936 to 1940 and he was promoted to Captain in 1938. Saint Cyr became Major in 1944 and attended the Cavalry School in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

from 1948 to 1950. He was placed in the reserve in 1957.

Sports career

He competed at five consecutive Olympics from 1936 to 1960 and won two gold medals in 1952 and two in 1956, all in individual and team dressage. At his last Olympics in 1960 he finished fourth in the individual dressage. Saint Cyr was the national champion in eventing in 1935, 1937, and 1939 and won a world title in the individual dressage in 1953. He took the

Olympic Oath The Olympic Oath (distinct from the Olympic creed) is a solemn promise made by one athlete, judge or official, and one coach at the Opening Ceremony of each Olympic Games. Each oath taker is from the host nation and takes the oath on behalf of all ...

at the 1956 Games in Stockholm. Saint Cyr was a board member of the Swedish Equestrian Federation (''Svenska ridsportens centralförbund'') from 1932 to 1948 and from 1950 to 1959.

Personal life

In 1921 he married Ruth Constantin-Peterson (1904–1966), the daughter of Bror Constantin-Peterson, a chief physician, and Sophie Psilanderskjöld. He was the father of Madeleine (born 1930) and Guy (born 1934).

Awards and decorations

Knight of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the ...

(1944) *

H. M. The King's Medal H. M. ( His Majesty) The King's Medal ( sv, H.M. Konungens medalj), earlier known as the Court Medal ( sv, Hovmedaljen), is a Swedish honour that may be bestowed upon Swedish and foreign citizens. The medal was created in 1814 and is awarded in di ...

* Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

Dates of rank

*1924 –

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

*1928 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

*1938 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

*1944 –

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 indicato ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Cyr, Henri 1902 births 1979 deaths Swedish Army officers Military personnel from Stockholm Sportspeople from Stockholm Swedish male equestrians Swedish dressage riders Equestrians at the 1936 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1948 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1952 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1956 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Sweden Olympic medalists in equestrian Knights of the Order of the Sword Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Swedish people of French descent Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Oath takers at the Olympic Games