James Edward Sullivan: Difference between revisions

'''James Edward Sullivan''' (818 November 1862 &ndash; 16 September 1914) was an American sports official of Irish descent. He was one of the founders of the [[Amateur Athletic Union]] (AAU) on Jan 21, 1888,<ref>{{Cite [web|url=http://mastershistory.org/x-aau-convention-locations/]|title=x AAU Convention Locations|website=mastershistory.org|accessdate=Jul 27, 2022}}</ref> serving as its secretary from 1889 until 1906 when he was elected as [[President of the Amateur Athletic Union]] from 1906 to 1909. He declined a fourth term and was re-elected to his former position as secretary-treasurer until his sudden death which followed an emergency operation. Sullivan also served as the chairman of the [[Irish American Athletic Club|Greater New York Irish Athletic Association]] in 1903 and on the [[New York City Board of Education]] from 1908 to 1912.<ref name=obit/> In 1911 he served as chairman of the [[New York State Athletic Commission]].<ref>{{cite news |title=J.E. Sullivan Quits Boxing Commission |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 6, 1911}}</ref>

He also was one of the most influential people in the early [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] movement, although his relationship with [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]] president [[Pierre de Coubertin]] was tense. Sullivan was also an organizer of the [[Seward Park (Manhattan)|Outdoor Recreation League]] and served as its second president. Sullivan "was the advertising representative of A. G. Spalding & Brothers", [[Spalding (company)|Spalding]], which provided running shoes, implements, balls and gloves for many sports.

Sullivan was a chief organizer of the [[1904 Summer Olympics]]. He decided to allow only one water station on the 24.85 -mile course of the [[Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon|marathon]] even though it was conducted in {{convert|32|C|F}} heat over unpaved roads choked with dust. His ostensible reason was to conduct research on "purposeful [[dehydration]]," even though dehydration is potentially fatal. The marathon ended with the worst ratio of entrants to finishers (14 of 32) and by far the slowest winning time, 3:28:45, almost 30 minutes slower than the next slowest winning time at the [[Athletics at the 19041900 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon|second1900 fastestSummer winning timeOlympics]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1904-olympic-marathon-may-have-been-the-strangest-ever-14910747/?no-ist |title=The 1904 Olympic Marathon May Have Been the Strangest Ever |last=Abbott |first=Karen |date=August 7, 2012 |website=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian Magazine]] |access-date=October 25, 2020}}</ref> He also organized the [[Anthropology Days]], a racist and cynical attempt to demonstrate athletic [[White supremacy|white superiority]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics|last=Boykoff|first=Jules|publisher=Verso|year=2016|isbn=9781784780722|location=London|pages=30–35}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-06 |title=The Unbelievable True Story of the Craziest Olympic Marathon |url=https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a37039437/1904-olympic-marathon/ |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Runner's World |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1911 he was injured in a [[train wreck]] in [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]].<ref name=obit/> He died on 16 September 1914 at [[Mount Sinai Hospital, New York]], after an operation on his intestines.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |first= |last= |author-link= |title=J.E. Sullivan Dies After an Operation. America's. Foremost Leader in Athletics and Recreation Work III Few Days. Did Much to Revive Classic Olympic Games and Was Strong. Factor In Public School Athletics |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D03E2DB1638E633A25754C1A96F9C946596D6CF |quote= |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=September 17, 1914 |accessdate=2009-11-23 }}</ref> For the funeral on 19 September 1914, his body was conveyed from his home, 540 West 114th Street, to [[St. Aloysius Gonzaga's Church (New York City)|St. Aloysius Gonzaga's Church]], at 132d Street and [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue]], where a [[requiem Mass]] was held.<ref>{{cite news |author= |title=J. E. Sullivan's Funeral. 60,000 Schoolboys Will Line Route of the Procession |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/09/18/archives/j-e-sullivans-funeral-60000-schoolboys-will-line-route-of-the.html |quote=Between fifty and sixty thousand boys, members of the Public Schools Athletic League, an organization originated and fostered by the late James E. Sullivan, will line the route to be taken by the funeral procession when the athletic leader's body is conveyed from his home, 540 West 114th Street, tomorrow morning to the Catholic Church of St. Aloyslus, 132d Street and Seventh Avenue, where a solemn high mass of requiem will be celebrated. ... |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=September 18, 1914 |accessdate=2011-09-23 }}</ref>

James E. Sullivan created ''The Athletic News'' in 1880.<ref>{{Cite [web|url=https://shr1.org/?page_id=40]|title=Athletics T&F Publications |website=shr1.org|accessdate=Jul 27, 2022}}</ref> The 1914 National Outdoor Track and Field Championships were postponed (Sept 19 to Oct 3) in his honor (after his death). In 1930, the AAU established the [[James E. Sullivan Award]] in his honour. It is awarded annually to the best amateur athlete in the US. In 1977, he was inducted into the [[National Track & Field Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=163|title=James Sullivan|publisher=USA Track & Field, Inc.|work=usatf.org|accessdate=2009-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918205431/http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=163|archive-date=2008-09-18|url-status=dead}}</ref>

*[https://archive.org/details/olympicgamesatat00sullrich ''The Olympic games, Athens'', Spalding Athletic Library] (1906)

*[https://archive.org/details/olympicgamesstoc00sullrich ''The Olympic games, Stockholm'', Spalding Athletic Library] (1912)

* {{Librivox author |id=11613}}