Andrew Hartley Payne (November 17, 1907 – December 3, 1977) was the winner of the International Trans-Continental Footrace in 1928. He ran the route from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, much of it along

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

, in 573 hours, 4 minutes, 34 seconds, (23 days) averaging over an 84-day staged run. Payne, a member of the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...

, grew up in Foyil, Oklahoma which was one of the check point towns along the route of the race. His father, Doc, was a friend of

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

and had worked on the ranch of the latter's family during his youth. The footrace was organized to promote

which had recently been built as a simple, well-paved route across the country, and dubbed "the main street of America". The museum of history of

Claremore, Oklahoma Claremore is a city in and the county seat of Rogers County, Oklahoma, Rogers County in northeastern Oklahoma, United States. Its population was 19,580 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, a 5.4% increase over the 18,581 recorded in ...

, near his hometown, notes: "The grand prize for winning first place was $25,000. When Andy returned to Oklahoma, he paid off the mortgage on his family’s farm and built his parents a new home. He bought some land of his own and a Ford sedan. Looking for an occupation that would allow him to use his fame as a runner, Payne decided on theater. He learned to rope and billed himself as a “Dancing Cowboy from Oklahoma.” That didn’t work out for the audiences in California. Andy found work as a reporter in Arkansas for the Fayetteville Leader. In addition, he also did some sales work and did work in the oil field. Andy moved back to Oklahoma and became clerk of the Oklahoma State Supreme Court.https://claremoremoh.org/andy-payne-the-great-6023248-yard-dash/ Andy Payne was re-elected from multiple terms, serving from January 1935 through December 1972. He died in December 1977 at the age of 70.

References

External links

The Great American Foot Race
1907 births 1977 deaths Cherokee Nation sportspeople Native American sportspeople American male ultramarathon runners Sportspeople from Oklahoma People from Rogers County, Oklahoma 20th-century Native American people {{US-ultradistance-athletics-bio-stub

See also

References

External links