Sumner Wheeler White III (November 17, 1929 – October 24, 1988) was an American

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

and Olympic champion. He was born in

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 ...

and died in

Summit, New Jersey Summit is the northernmost City (New Jersey), city of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located within the New York metropolitan area. Situated on a ridge in north Jersey, northern–central Jersey, centra ...

. He competed at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, where, contrary to expectation, he won a gold medal in the '' 5.5 metre class'' with the boat ''Complex II'', together with

Britton Chance Britton "Brit" Chance (July 24, 1913 – November 16, 2010) was an American biochemist, biophysicist, scholar, and inventor whose work helped develop spectroscopy as a way to diagnose medical problems. He was "a world leader in transforming ...

and Edgar White. Raised in

Mantoloking, New Jersey Mantoloking (, ) is a coastal borough in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 331, an increase of 35 (+11.8%) from the 2010 census count of 296, which in turn reflecte ...

together with his twin brother Edgar, he graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

References

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* * * 1929 births 1988 deaths American male sailors (sport) Sailors at the 1952 Summer Olympics – 5.5 Metre Olympic gold medalists for the United States in sailing Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Harvard University alumni People from Mantoloking, New Jersey Sportspeople from Ocean County, New Jersey 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-yachtracing-Olympic-medalist-stub