John Howard (athlete)
Encyclopedia
John Armstrong Howard was a Canadian
track and field athlete
thought to be the first black Olympic athlete from Canada, competing in the 1912 Summer Olympics
.
Howard was born in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
to a barber. In addition to his domination of Canadian sprinting, he also played baseball as a catcher on the Crescent Creamery Baseball Club in Winnipeg.
In the Olympics in Stockholm, he was hindered by a stomach ailment and eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100 metres competition
as well as of the 200 metres event
. He was also a member of the Canadian relay teams which were eliminated in the semi-final of the 4x100 metre relay competition
and in the first round of the 4x400 metre relay event
.
In 1917, he went to France to fight in World War I. He returned two years later with a white English wife, Edith (née Lipscomb). They homesteaded in Ste. Rose du Lac, north of Winnipeg, but were forced to leave by hostility to the interracial marriage. Howard found work as a railway porter. Later, the marriage broke up.
He is the grandfather of Olympic sprinters Harry Jerome
and Valerie Jerome.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
track and field athlete
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
thought to be the first black Olympic athlete from Canada, competing in the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
.
Howard was born in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
to a barber. In addition to his domination of Canadian sprinting, he also played baseball as a catcher on the Crescent Creamery Baseball Club in Winnipeg.
In the Olympics in Stockholm, he was hindered by a stomach ailment and eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100 metres competition
Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metres
The men's 100 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics...
as well as of the 200 metres event
Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 metres
The men's 200 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourth appearance of the event, which has appeared at every edition of the Summer Olympics since the 1900 Summer Olympics...
. He was also a member of the Canadian relay teams which were eliminated in the semi-final of the 4x100 metre relay competition
Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 4x100 metre relay
The men's 4 x 100 metres relay was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the debut of the event, which along with the 4x400 metre relay marked the first relays of equal legs in the athletics programme...
and in the first round of the 4x400 metre relay event
Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 4x400 metre relay
The men's 4 x 400 metres relay was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the debut of the event, which along with the 4x100 metre relay marked the first relays of equal legs in the athletics programme...
.
In 1917, he went to France to fight in World War I. He returned two years later with a white English wife, Edith (née Lipscomb). They homesteaded in Ste. Rose du Lac, north of Winnipeg, but were forced to leave by hostility to the interracial marriage. Howard found work as a railway porter. Later, the marriage broke up.
He is the grandfather of Olympic sprinters Harry Jerome
Harry Jerome
Henry "Harry" Winston Jerome, was a Canadian track and field runner. He was the grandson of John Howard, a railway porter who represented Canada in the 1912 Summer Olympics....
and Valerie Jerome.