Charles E. Collett (1903–1968) was an American

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

player and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

. Born in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, he became a member of the

Olympic Club The Olympic Club is an sports club, athletic club and private social club in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. First named the "San Francisco Olympic Club", it is the oldest sports club, athletic club in the United States. Established ...

at the age of 12. Besides becoming an avid swimmer, his childhood included ferryboat rides to Marin and runs out to Stinson Beach along the Dipsea Trail. A musician, he played the alto saxophone and piano. He attended Polytechnic High School in San Francisco and then went on to Stanford where he received his BA degree. He was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity there and captained the Stanford water polo team. He was selected for the US Olympics 1924

team and came back with a bronze award for their performance. In 1982, he was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame. Upon graduating from Stanford, Mr. Collett attended Hastings Law School in San Francisco where he obtained his law degree. A member of the Bohemian Club, he pursued his interests in music and acting with the Club, participating in numerous performances at the Grove. He also performed in many venues around the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

most notably the Mountain Theater on

Mount Tamalpais Mount Tamalpais (; ; Miwok languages, Miwok: ''Támal Pájiṣ''), known locally as Mount Tam, is a mountain, peak in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tama ...

. Mr. Collett enlisted in the US Navy during World War II and served as a lieutenant in the Pacific Campaign. He was on the ill-fated St. Lo escort carrier in the

Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf () 23–26 October 1944, was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. By late 1944, Japan possessed fewer capital sh ...

during which his ship was attacked and sunk by a Kamikaze fighter plane. He not only survived the subsequent ordeal but helped keep two injured men afloat and received the Bronze Star for his effort. Mr. Collett served as the assistant US Attorney for the Ninth Circuit

Court of Appeals An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appellat ...

. He fathered four children.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Collett, Charles 1903 births 1968 deaths Sportspeople from San Francisco Stanford University alumni Olympic water polo players for the United States 20th-century American lawyers American male water polo players Water polo players at the 1924 Summer Olympics 20th-century American sportsmen

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