Gerhard von Hessert

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Baron Gerhard Rudolf Viktor von Hessert (born August 18, 1906 in Freiburg im Breisgau ; † September 22, 1994 ) was a bobsledder at the 1932 Winter Olympics .

Life

Von Hessert was born in 1906 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden , although his family had its main distribution in the Grand Duchy of Hesse . His parents were Friedrich von Hessert and Viktoria von Herff . Gerhard von Hessert was their fourth and youngest child.

youth

His youth was characterized by numerous moves and changes of location, since his father was active in the mining industry. He attended the Technical University of Darmstadt and emigrated to New York City in 1929 . He traveled on board the RMS Franconia .

Olympia

Gerhard von Hessert strengthened the German Olympic squad as a bobsleigh driver in 1932 and was seventh and last in Lake Placid in the four-man bobsleigh competition together with the “emergency pilot” Walther von Mumm , Hasso von Bismarck and Georg Gyssling , after the second run the team was even ranked six. The bobsleigh crew jumped in at the last minute after numerous athletes from the original crews were in the hospital after Werner Zahn and Fritz Grau fell seriously .

family

In 1939 he married Cornelia Fitch Baekeland , the granddaughter of Leo Baekeland , the inventor of Bakelite . She got a small role as an extra in the 1944 classic The Goddess Dances (Cover Girl) with Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly .

relationship

Hessert's paternal uncle was the first public prosecutor in Darmstadt and his maternal grandfather was a member of the Privy Council. His paternal great-grandfather was Dr. Franz Ferdinand of Hessert, the personal physician of Ludwig I and a pioneer in the field of vaccination . He led in the early 1800s, the first attempts at inoculation of cowpox in Hesse by, after the progress that Edward Jenner had made in England.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ WH Wills: The Anglo-African Who's Who and Biographical Sketchbook. , 1907. Jeppestown Press. London 2006: 373.
  2. ↑ sports-reference.com .
  3. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1509098/
  4. ^ M. Knodt: Ernst Ludwig Grand Duke of Hesse and near Rhine. Publishing house HL Schlapp Darmstadt. Darmstadt 1978: 383-
  5. ^ L. Barber: Ferdinand Peter Herff: The Doctors Herff. A three generation memoir. Trinity University Press, San Antonio (Texas) 1973.
  6. ^ C. Creighton: Jenner and Vaccination: A Strange Chapter of Medical History. Jenner. Swan Sunshine & CoP. London 1889: 229.
  7. ^ I. Sahmland: The beginnings of vaccination in Giessen. Giessen University Gazette. Born 30. Brühlsche Universitätsdruckerei Gießen. Giessen 1997: 51-62.

Web links


personal data
SURNAME Hessert, Gerhard von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gerhard Rudolf Viktor von Hessert (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German athlete at the 1932 Winter Olympics
DATE OF BIRTH August 18, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Freiburg in Breisgau
DATE OF DEATH September 22, 1994