Thomas Selby Egan
Encyclopedia
Thomas Selby Egan was the first cox
to win the boat race for Cambridge University
. He was a rowing
coach and a German scholar.
Egan was born in London, the son of John Egan. He was admitted to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
on 29 June 1833. In his college days at Cambridge he was cox for the winning Cambridge
boat in the Boat Races in 1836, 1839 and 1840 and was well known as an "aquatic coach". In 1841 and 1842 he coxed the Cambridge Subscription Rooms eight which won the Grand Challenge Cup
at Henley Royal Regatta
.
Egan was an Umpire at Henley Regatta for 12 years and was an editor of Bell's Life in London
for many years.
Egan criticised the use of watermen as coaches, advocating the longer and smoother stroke of amateurs rather than the waterman's choppy stroke. When Cambridge insisted on using a waterman as coach in 1852, Egan in protest trained the Oxford crew which went on to win. He coached the Cambridge crew in 1854, both crews in 1856 and the Cambridge crew in 1858. In 1865 a lifeboat was presented to the lifeboat station at Tramore, Southern Ireland called the Thomas Egan.
Egan was a German scholar and translated Schiller's Don Carlos, Infant of Spain
, Heine
's Börne
, and other poems.
Egan died at Margate
, Kent
at the age of 78 and was buried in Margate Cemetery.
Coxswain (rowing)
In a crew, the coxswain is the member who sits in the stern facing the bow, steers the boat, and coordinates the power and rhythm of the rowers.- Role :The role of a coxswain within a crew is to:...
to win the boat race for Cambridge University
Cambridge University Boat Club
The Cambridge University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England, located on the River Cam at Cambridge, although training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The club was founded in 1828...
. He was a rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
coach and a German scholar.
Egan was born in London, the son of John Egan. He was admitted to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
on 29 June 1833. In his college days at Cambridge he was cox for the winning Cambridge
Cambridge University Boat Club
The Cambridge University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England, located on the River Cam at Cambridge, although training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The club was founded in 1828...
boat in the Boat Races in 1836, 1839 and 1840 and was well known as an "aquatic coach". In 1841 and 1842 he coxed the Cambridge Subscription Rooms eight which won the Grand Challenge Cup
Grand Challenge Cup
The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and most prestigious event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs...
at Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
.
Egan was an Umpire at Henley Regatta for 12 years and was an editor of Bell's Life in London
Bell's Life in London
Bell's Life in London, and Sporting Chronicle was a British weekly sporting paper published as a pink broadsheet between 1822 and 1886.Bell's Life was founded by Robert Bell, a London printer-publisher....
for many years.
Egan criticised the use of watermen as coaches, advocating the longer and smoother stroke of amateurs rather than the waterman's choppy stroke. When Cambridge insisted on using a waterman as coach in 1852, Egan in protest trained the Oxford crew which went on to win. He coached the Cambridge crew in 1854, both crews in 1856 and the Cambridge crew in 1858. In 1865 a lifeboat was presented to the lifeboat station at Tramore, Southern Ireland called the Thomas Egan.
Egan was a German scholar and translated Schiller's Don Carlos, Infant of Spain
Don Carlos (play)
Don Carlos is a historical tragedy in five acts by Friedrich Schiller; it was written between 1783 and 1787 and first produced in Hamburg in 1787...
, Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
's Börne
Ludwig Börne
Karl Ludwig Börne was a German political writer and satirist.-Early life:Karl Ludwig Börne was born Loeb Baruch on May 6, 1786, at Frankfurt am Main, son of Jakob Baruch, a banker. His grandfather had been a government bureaucrat.-Education:Börne and his brothers were privately tutored by Jacob...
, and other poems.
Egan died at Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
at the age of 78 and was buried in Margate Cemetery.