Ralph Kirkman Mulford (December 28, 1884 – October 23, 1973) was an American

racecar Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

driver who participated in the 1911 Indianapolis 500. In 1911 he won the

Vanderbilt Cup The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. History An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, ...

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

Biography

He was born on December 28, 1884, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He once served as a Sunday school teacher. There is an ongoing urban legend that Ralph Mulford may have won the 1911 Indianapolis 500 over

Ray Harroun Ray Harroun (January 12, 1879 – January 19, 1968) was an American racecar driver and pioneering constructor most famous for winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. He is the inventer of the open-wheel car. Biography He was born on Janua ...

. However, contemporary newspaper accounts and substantiated research, namely by Indianapolis Motor Speedway

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

Donald Davidson, have produced no credible evidence to support the claim."The History of the 500 – Episode 10 (Mythbusters)", WIBC 93.1, April 14, 2013 Mulford was retroactively declared the National Driving Champion for 1911 and 1918. He retired from racing on tracks after 1922, but continued to compete for several more years in hill climbs, and – at one time – held the record for both the

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934 ...

and

Pikes Peak Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in North America. The ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The town of Manitou S ...

climbs. He died on October 23, 1973, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. At the time of his death, Mulford was the last surviving participant of the inaugural, 1911 Indianapolis 500.

Indianapolis 500 results

References

External links

*
Ralph Mulford
at Champ Car Stats * 1884 births 1973 deaths Sportspeople from Brooklyn People from Asbury Park, New Jersey Racing drivers from New York (state) Racing drivers from New York City Indianapolis 500 drivers AAA Championship Car drivers {{US-autoracing-bio-stub