William Frank (athlete)

William Gottlieb Frank (December 1, 1878 – March 31, 1965) was an American track and field athlete who was born in Besigheim, Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.[1] He arrived in the United States in 1889.[2] Frank was a member of the Irish American Athletic Club and the Twenty-Second Regiment of the New York National Guard. Frank was also a police officer assigned to the New York City Police Department's 74th Precinct.[3]

William Frank

Frank at the finish of the 1906 Olympic Marathon
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  United States
Intercalated Games
Bronze medal – third place 1906 Athens Marathon

Competing as a member of the New York National Guard, Twenty-second Regiment, Frank won the 3-mile race for the championship of the Military Athletic League in 1905.[4] He also won the national indoor 10-mile championship at Madison Square Garden in 1906.[5]

He competed for the United States in the 1906 Intercalated Games held in Athens, Greece in the 5 mile race and the Marathon, where he came in third place, winning the bronze medal.

About 1902 he married Adelaide Wingrove, a native of Astoria, and they had one child, a daughter Adelaide Johanna, in 1903.

Notes

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  1. ^ United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group Number 147. National Archives and Records Administration.
  2. ^ United States Federal Census. ear: 1900; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1117; Page: 18A; Enumeration District: 0821; FHL microfilm: 1241117.
  3. ^ "Bingham Pleased with Police Games." New York Times, Oct. 6. 1907.
  4. ^ "JOYCE BEATEN BY FRANK.; National Champion Loses Military Event at Eighth Regiment Games." New York Times, February 19, 1905.
  5. ^ "GALLANT FELLOWS UPHOLDING THE HONOR OF STARS AND STRIPES.; Short Biography of the Athletes Who Are Representing America Among Champions of the World at Olympic Games." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 29, 1906, p. 9B.
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  • William Frank at databaseOlympics.com at the Wayback Machine (archived March 1, 2007)
  • Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "William Frank". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
  • Winged Fist Organization