Harry Buermeyer

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Harry Buermeyer, circa 1920
Harry Buermeyer, 1861
Harry Buermeyer (left) and Bill Curtis (right), circa 1870
NYAC Track Team, Harry Buermeyer (right), circa 1873

Henry Ernest "Harry" Buermeyer II (August 19, 1839 in New York City - October 10, 1922 ibid) was one of the most famous American athletes of the 1880s and is considered the "father of American athletics" because he had a decisive influence on amateur sport in North America Has. James E. Sullivan described him as one of the greatest athletes of all time. His father Ernst came from Buer (Melle) . After being wounded twice in the legs in the Civil War, Henry won various American championships in swimming , running , shot put , boxing , and rowingWeightlifting .

Life

At the age of 16, Henry won his first rowing race in the skull once around Ellis Island . At 18 he was New York's best all-rounder. He attended the Mechanics Institute School and graduated in 1854. At first he worked as an accountant. He volunteered in May 1861 and fought in the Civil War on the north side in the 83rd New York Infantry Regiment . He was slightly wounded in the Battle of Antietam and so badly wounded in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House that there were fears that his left leg would have to be amputated. He was then highly decorated and honorably discharged from the army. In the army he had fought several successful boxing matches and was considered the master of his regiment. After serving in the army, he concentrated on competitive sports. At that time, no distinction was made between professionals and amateurs, so this was a lucrative profession. In 1871 he was the first American champion in the 100-yard run (best time 10.5 seconds = approx. 11.5 for 100 meters), the first champion in the shot put and in gymnastics all-around. In 1876 he became the first American heavyweight boxing champion and was the first to win in Madison Square Garden by knockout. Harry was considered the strongest man of his time.

Together with his friends William Buckingham Curtis and John C. Babcock , he founded the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) in 1868 . Harry, as a non-commissioned officer, accepted Major Curtis as his boss from the outset. Harry was the club's first treasurer as well as the team captain of the athletics team. Together they founded the Amateur Athletic Union in 1878 , which eventually became the US Olympic Committee . Around 1880 Harry and Curtis also founded the Fresh Air Club , in the tradition of the Alpine clubs , the second of its kind in the USA. In 1890 the association was formally registered. Harry became its president in 1900.

In 1900 Harry was also elected President of the National Skating Association . He was the referee and chief referee at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis . In 1912 he was the only invited guest of the American team and carried the American flag at the Olympic Games in Stockholm and at the successful team's confetti parade in New York. As a German-American who was not influenced by college sports, he was a representative of those who were able to earn their money in sports as part of the American special route, but who still had a close connection to Europe.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Washington Herald, April 32, 1912
  2. ↑ James E. Sullivan: How to become an Athlete. New York: American sports publishing Company, 1916, p. 49.
  3. ↑ http://www.buer-us.de/Book1_Buermeyer.htm
  4. ^ New York Herald Newspaper , February 18, 1890
  5. ^ New York Tribune, February 7, 1915
  6. ^ Hussey, George A. and Todd, William (1889). History of the Ninth Regiment NYSM 83rd NY Volunteers. New York, NY: Oglivie, 57 Rose St. (reprinted by The Cornell University Library Digital Collections)
  7. ↑ http://www3.telus.net/modfos/Biography.html
  8. ^ Spirit of the Times Newspaper, February 27, 1881
  9. ↑ LA84Foundation.org outing, Volume IV, Number 6, September 1884
  10. ↑ Super Strength (Circa 1924) by Alan Calvert, Chapter 23
  11. ^ New York Evening Post, May 6, 1916
  12. ^ New York Times Newspaper, August 25, 1912
  13. ^ Arnd Krüger : The American sport between isolationism and internationalism. In: Leistungssport 18 (1988), 1, pp. 43-50.
personal data
SURNAME Buermeyer, Harry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Buermeyer, Henry Ernest II
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Father of American competitive sport
DATE OF BIRTH August 19, 1839
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH October 10, 1922
Place of death New York City