Richmond Wilcox Landon (November 20, 1898 – June 13, 1971) was an American

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

er who won a gold medal for the United States at the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (; ; ) and commonly known as Antwerp 1920 (; Dutch language, Dutch and German language, German: ''Antwerpen 1920''), were an international multi-sport event held i ...

. Landon attended the

Hotchkiss School The Hotchkiss School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut. It educates approximately 600 students in grades 9–12, plus postgraduates. Founded in 1891, it was one of the first English-style boardi ...

in Connecticut and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. In 1922 he married Alice Lord, an Olympic diver he met on the boat to the 1920 Olympics.

Early life and domestic career

Landon was born on November 20, 1898, in

Salisbury, Connecticut Salisbury () is a New England town, town situated in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwesternmost in the state of Connecticut; the Connecticut-Massachusetts-New York tri-state marker is located at the northwest ...

. His father was an attorney. When he lived in Salisbury, he took an interest in

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

. Additionally, he played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

as a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

. He began to wear glasses as a result of a baseball injury where a baseball collided with his head between his eyes. Landon attended

, where he began to take an interest in jumping. Landon earned a spot among the Yale Bulldogs' varsity team in his sophomore year. In 1917, he broke the

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

high jump record at . He joined the

New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a Gentlemen's club, private social club and athletic club in New York (state), New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Pa ...

in 1919. His personal best high jump height, 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m), was set in 1921. Additionally, Landon set the world indoor record for the high jump at in 1923.

Olympic career

Landon competed at the high jump at the 1920 Olympics. Conditions were described as poor as a result of newly laid grass. In the qualifying round, he jumped to advance to the final round. In the final, three jumpers, including him, cleared , which Landon accomplished on his second attempt. Landon cleared an Olympic record on his second attempt, whom he was the only one to clear, resulting in a first-place finish. King

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. He is popularly referred to as the Knight King (, ) or Soldier King (, ) in Belgium in reference to his role during World War I ...

congratulated him for his victory. During the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

, Landon helped coach the women's high jump team. Later in his life, Landon continued to do organizational work for the Olympics. Additionally, he was one of five people that organized a group named the U.S. Olympians, which focused on youth participation and public interest.

Personal life

Landon worked as an advertising executive. He worked for

McCall's magazine ''McCall's'' was a monthly United States, American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. The publication ...

. Additionally, Landon was an amateur competition official. He served as the commissioner of 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 ...

Nassau County, New York Nassau County ( ) is a suburban County (United States), county located on Long Island, immediately to the east of New York City, bordering the Long Island Sound on the north and the open Atlantic Ocean to the south. As of the 2020 United St ...

. Landon met his wife, Alice Landon, aboard a ship headed for the 1920 Olympics. The couple married two years later, and had two children. He and his wife participated in public speaking in order to fundraise for the

United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for the United States. It was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado ...

. They were still married at the time of his death. Landon died at the age of 72 in his home on June 13, 1971, after a "short illness".

References

External links

Official Website of the Olympics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landon, Richmond 1898 births 1971 deaths Hotchkiss School alumni American male high jumpers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1920 Summer Olympics People from Lynbrook, New York People from Salisbury, Connecticut Sportspeople from Litchfield County, Connecticut Track and field athletes from Connecticut Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics Yale University alumni 20th-century American sportsmen