Melvin Whinfield "Peerless Mel" Sheppard (September 5, 1883 – January 4, 1942) was an American athlete, member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and winner of four gold medals and one silver medal at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were o ...

and

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, b ...

. Along with Henry Taylor of the United Kingdom, he was the most successful athlete at the 1908 Olympics.

Early life

Born in the Almonesson section of

Deptford Township, New Jersey Deptford Township (pronounced DEP-ford) is a Township (New Jersey), township in Gloucester County, New Jersey, Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the township's population wa ...

, Sheppard moved Almonesson to

Clayton, New Jersey Clayton is a borough in Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 8,807, an increase of 628 from the 2010 census count of 8,179,Haddonfield, New Jersey :''Not the fictional Illinois town from the Halloween film series.'' Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593,

and then the

Grays Ferry Grays Ferry, also known as Gray's Ferry, is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia bounded (roughly) by 25th Street on the east, the Schuylkill River on the west, Vare Avenue on the south, and Grays Ferry Avenue on the north. The section of this nei ...

neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

in his mid-teens.Anastasia, Phil
"A champion to remember Mel Sheppard won the first of his 4 Olympic golds 100 years ago."
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pen ...

'', July 14, 2008, backed up by the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

as of March 4, 2016. Accessed October 22, 2016. "Sheppard was born in 1883 in Almonesson, a section of Deptford Township in Gloucester County. He lived there, in a twin house, for the first nine years of his life.... At age 9, Sheppard moved with his family to Clayton, and got a job 'rolling jars' in a glass factory for $9 a month. His family moved to Haddonfield a few years later, then to the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia when Sheppard was about 15."

Track career

Sheppard, or "Peerless Mel" as he was nicknamed, was rejected by the New York Police because he had a slightly enlarged heart. Cardiopulmonary problems notwithstanding, Sheppard won three consecutive AAU titles in the 880 yards (805 m) from 1906 to 1908 and became a main favorite for the middle distance events at the 1908 Summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. By late 1907, Sheppard held world indoor records for 600 yards, 880 yards, 1000 yards, and the mile.Heidenstrom, P. (1992) ''Athletes of the Century.'' Wellington: GP Publications. During the indoor season of 1907-08, Sheppard raced Guy Haskins In the first, he was beaten. In the second, about to be beaten again, he threw Haskins to the floor with a flying mare, which he also did to another runner, Adam O'Shea, in the

Millrose Games The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet (track and field) held each February in New York City. They started taking place at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011 ...

in which he was disqualified. In the third, he walked off the track as he was about to be beaten again. By May the ''New York Times'' reported that Haskins, "unquestionably the best half-mile and mile performer in the country", had been refused selection for the United States team to the 1908 Olympics for which he had been trying. He was not selected for the Australasian team either, largely for financial reasons.

1908 Olympic Games

The 1908 Olympics were the first true championships for the 1500 metres. In the finals, only the winner of each of the eight heats would qualify for the final, and there was no seeding to ensure that top runners were separated in their heats. Top runners like

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library syst ...

, 1906 Olympic champion James Lightbody, John Halstead, second-fastest in history in the event, and three-time AAA champion George Butterfield all failed to advance. Sheppard won the 1500 metres, setting an Olympic record at 4:05.0 in the first round that fell in the very next heat, when Norman Hallows ran a 4:03.6. Sheppard matched Hallows' time in the final the next day to win the first running gold medal awarded at the 1908 Games. In the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

, Sheppard won his first round with a time of 1:58.0; James Lintott remained close throughout the race and threatened to eliminate Sheppard from the competition. Sheppard ran the first 400 metres of the 800 metres final in 53 seconds and went on to win in the world record time of 1.52.8. He earned his third gold medal on the medley relay race. He was the final runner on the American team, running half of the 1600 metre race. He was passed the baton by fellow Irish American Athletic Club member John Baxter Taylor, Jr., who would become the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

to win an Olympic gold medal. Even without being in as good of form as he had been in the individual races, Sheppard had little trouble retaining the leads giving to him teammates William Hamilton, Nate Cartmell, and John Taylor. The team won both the first round and final in times of 3:27.2 and 3:29.4. Sheppard's 800 metre split for the final was 1:55.4.

One-Mile Relay world record

At the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

metropolitan championships held at

Travers Island Travers Island is a former island in Long Island Sound, located in the city of New Rochelle, New York. The island, originally united by a causeway to the mainland, comprises a tract of thirty acres in the Lower Harbor of New Rochelle, situated be ...

in 1909, Sheppard was part of the Irish American Athletic Club's four-man relay team that broke the world's record for the one mile relay with a time of 3 minutes 20 2/5 seconds. The other three men on the record breaking team were: C.S. Cassara, William Robbins, and

James Rosenberger James Maher Rosenberger (April 6, 1887 – January 1, 1946) was an American track and field athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He was born in New York City and died in Brooklyn, New York. In 1909, at the Amateur Athletic ...

. His 1910 trading card called him "undoubtedly the greatest mid-distance runner the world has ever seen."

1912 Olympic Games

After winning Amateur Athletic Union titles at in 1911 and 1912, Sheppard was a favorite to defend his Olympic 800 metres title at the

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

. At Stockholm, he tried the same tactics as in

, but after an opening lap of 52.4 he was overtaken by teammate

Ted Meredith James Edwin "Ted" Meredith (November 14, 1891 – November 2, 1957) was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Meredith made the 1912 Olympic team shortly after his graduation from Williamson Free Schoo ...

, who set a new world record of 1.51.9. Sheppard won his fourth gold medal as lead-off runner on the 4×400 metre relay team that set a world record of 3:16.6.

Post-competition career

Sheppard was a member of the New Jersey National Guard and the 69th Regiment. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he served as an athletic director at a number of military training camps. After the war, he coached for a number of amateur athletic clubs. Sheppard worked for

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a ...

and was the recreational director for the Millrose Athletic Association, which was formed by

Wanamaker's John Wanamaker Department Store was one of the first department stores in the United States. Founded by John Wanamaker in Philadelphia, it was influential in the development of the retail industry including as the first store to use price tags. ...

employees. Sheppard coached the U.S. women's track and field team at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated fro ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

Death

Sheppard died at his home in

Bayside, Queens Bayside is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Whitestone to the northwest, the Long Island Sound and Little Neck Bay to the northeast, Douglaston to the east, Oakland Gardens to the south, and Fresh Meado ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He was interred in New Camden Cemetery in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 20 ...

. His ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' obituary cites "acute indigestion" as the cause of death. He was survived by his wife Estelle (née) Symon, his daughter Adelaide Kohler of

Wildwood, New Jersey Wildwood is a city in Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area and is a popular summer resort destination along the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's year-r ...

and his son Melvin Sheppard Jr., who was on

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

's track and cross country teams in 1932.

Legacy

While it is claimed that "after retiring from sports Sheppard became a lawyer (he was one of the defenders of the Lindbergh child kidnapper

Bruno Hauptmann Bruno Richard Hauptmann (November 26, 1899 – April 3, 1936) was a German-born carpenter who was convicted of the abduction and murder of the 20-month-old son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The Lindbergh kidnap ...

)," this is an Internet myth. The lead attorney for Bruno Hauptmann was a Edward J. Reilly. "The Trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann," by Sidney B. Whipple, originally published by Doubleday, Doran & Co., NY, 1937, makes no mention of Sheppard. Whipple lists the defense team present for the first day of trial as "Mr. Reilly, Mr. Fisher, Mr. Pope, Mr. Rosecrans." There is no evidence that Sheppard ever practiced law, or had anything to do with the Lindbergh child kidnapper. Track & Field News: The Bible of the Sport since 1948
/ref>

References

External links

* *
Winged Fist Organization
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheppard, Mel 1883 births 1942 deaths American male middle-distance runners American male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics Burials in New Jersey Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics New Jersey National Guard personnel Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field People from Bayside, Queens People from Clayton, New Jersey People from Deptford Township, New Jersey People from Haddonfield, New Jersey Sportspeople from Camden, New Jersey Track and field athletes from New Jersey United States Army personnel of World War I World record setters in athletics (track and field)