View source for Charles Reidpath

{{Short description|American athlete}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = 
| image          =Charles Reidpath.jpg
| image_size     = 190px
| caption        =Charles Reidpath at the 1912 Olympics
| birth_name     = 
| fullname       = 
| nationality    = 
| residence      = 
|birth_date = September 20, 1889
| birth_place    = [[Buffalo, New York]], United States
| death_date     =October 21, 1975 (aged 86)
| death_place    = [[Kenmore, New York]], United States
| height = {{convert|1.81|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|76|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| country        = 
| sport          =Sprint running
| club           =NYAC, New York
| retired        = 
| olympics       = 
| highestranking = 
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport | Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | the {{USA}} }}
{{Medal|Competition | [[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Stockholm]] |[[Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres|400 metres]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|1912 Stockholm |[[Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
}}
'''Charles Decker Reidpath''' (September 20, 1889 – October 21, 1975) was an [[Americans|American]] [[track and field]] [[sprint (running)|sprint]]er and winner of two gold medals at the [[1912 Summer Olympics]], who later went on to have an outstanding military career.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78935 |title=Charles Reidpath |work=Olympedia |access-date=18 April 2021}}</ref>

==Biography==
Born in [[Buffalo, New York]], and a graduate of that city's [[Lafayette High School (Buffalo)|Lafayette High School]], Reidpath became a collegiate track star at [[Syracuse University]], winning the 220 yd (201 m) and 440 yd (402 m) dashes in the 1912 intercollegiate games. He also played [[Syracuse Orange football|football]] at Syracuse.<ref>{{cite web |title=Syracuse University Football Letterwinners |url=https://cuse.com/sports/2009/2/3/sidebar_431 |access-date=4 July 2024}}</ref>

On graduating from Syracuse in 1912 with a degree in civil engineering, Reidpath was pressured by relatives to quit sports and take a position with the family business in Buffalo. Instead, he made the U.S. Olympic track team and headed to [[Stockholm]], [[Sweden]]. Reidpath won the 400 m in an [[Olympic record]] shattering time of 48.2 seconds, a mark also ratified as a [[Men's 400 metres world record progression|world record]]. Running the anchor leg of the 4 × 400 m [[relay race|relay]], Reidpath helped the U.S. team set a [[world record]] of 3:16.6. In the [[Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|200 metres competition]] he finished fifth.

Reidpath was a lieutenant colonel in the [[United States Army]] who served in [[England]], [[France]] and [[Belgium]] in the [[United States Army Transportation Corps|Transportation Corps]] during [[World War II]], winning battle stars for the Northern France and [[Rheinland]] campaigns. In Belgium, he was made [[Order of the Crown (Belgium)|Officer of the Crown]] for his services at the vital port of [[Antwerp]] in 1944 and 1945. Reidpath was made a Brigadier General when he retired from the [[United States National Guard|New York National Guard]] in 1948. He is a member of the Lafayette High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Away from sports and the military, Reidpath worked for the Berdencer construction company from 1912 through 1937, when he was named director of buildings for Buffalo. For 15 years, he worked in the city Department of Public Works. In 1956, he helped build the [[Federal Reserve Bank of New York Buffalo Branch]] as superintendent of construction for [[architecture|architects]].

He died in [[Kenmore, New York]] in 1975.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://members.tripod.com/~laxman36/reidpath.html Charles Reidpath, Olympic Champion by Tim Evans]
*{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/re/charles-reidpath-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171634/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/re/charles-reidpath-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Charles Reidpath}}
*{{sports links}}
*{{Find a Grave}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x400 m Men|1912}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reidpath, Charles}}
[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:American male sprinters]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Syracuse Orange men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:National Guard (United States) generals]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Lafayette High School (Buffalo, New York) alumni]]
[[Category:New York National Guard personnel]]
[[Category:Syracuse Orange football players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]