David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter

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David George Brownlow Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter, KCMG, KStJ (9 February 1905 – 21 October 1981),[1] styled Lord Burghley from birth until 1956 and also known as David Burghley, was an English athlete, sports official, peer, and Conservative Party politician. He won the gold medal in the 400 m hurdles at the 1928 Summer Olympics.[2]

Early life

Born near Stamford, Lincolnshire, as heir to the 5th Marquess of Exeter, Lord Burghley was educated at Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, Ludgrove School, Eton College and Magdalene College, Cambridge.[3][2][4] At Cambridge, he was president of the Cambridge University Athletics Club and a member of the Pitt Club.[5]

Athlete

File:Lord Burghley at the British Empire Games. 1930.png
Lord Burghley wins the 440 yards hurdles at the 1930 British Empire Games
File:John Carlos, Tommie Smith, Peter Norman 1968cr.jpg
The Marquess of Exeter (in red blazer) in the foreground after presenting the medals for the 200 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics

A notable runner at school and at Cambridge, he continued with his athletics and won the British AAA championships in 120 yd from 1929 to 1931 and the Script error: No such module "convert". hurdles from 1926 to 1928, and again in 1930 and 1932.

Burghley made his Olympic debut in Paris in 1924, when he was eliminated in the first round of the 110 metre hurdles event. At the 1928 Summer Olympics, Burghley was eliminated in the semifinal of the 110 metre hurdles competition, but won the 400 metres hurdles, beating second and third placed Americans Frank Cuhel and Morgan Taylor by 0.2 seconds. At the first Commonwealth Games in 1930, Burghley won both hurdling events and was also a member of the gold medal winning British 4 × 440 yards relay team. In 1927–1930 Burghley also set several British records, one of which, 24.7 s in the 220 yard hurdles, set in 1927, stood until 1950.[6]

In 1931 Burghley was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Peterborough. He was granted a leave of absence to compete in the 1932 Summer Olympics, where he placed fourth in the 400 m hurdles event, fifth in the 110 m hurdles competition, and won a silver medal as a member of the British 4 × 400 metres relay team, which set a new European record in the process.[2]

In 1933, Burghley became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Three years later he was elected President of the Amateur Athletic Association and Chairman of the British Olympic Association. In 1946 he became President of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and later acted as Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 1948 Summer Olympics. Between 1952 and 1966 he was vice-president of the IOC and was a presidential candidate in 1952 and 1964.[2]

As an IOC member and president of the IAAF, Burghley presented the medals for the 200 m at the Mexico Olympics in 1968 and appeared in some famous images of the Black Power salute given by Tommie Smith and John Carlos.[7] When later asked what he had thought of the gloves, he said: "I thought they had hurt their hand."[8]

Politician

Burghley was a member of the Conservative and Unionist Party and served as MP for Peterborough from 1931 until 1943. He was elected in the 1931 general election, defeating the sitting Labour MP J. F. Horrabin. Burghley was returned to the House of Commons in the 1935 general election. He was for many years Chairman of the Junior Imperial League. Burghley resigned his Commons seat in 1943 to take up appointment as Governor of Bermuda, a post in which he served until 1945.[2]

Family

File:Memorial to David George Brownlow, 6th Marquess of Exeter, in St Martin's Church, Stamford Baron.jpg
Memorial in St Martin's Church, Stamford

The Marquess of Exeter was a descendant of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, chief minister and, later, treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I. On his death the title passed to his brother, Lord Martin Cecil.

Lord Burghley married firstly on 10 January 1929,[9] his second cousin, Lady Mary Theresa Montagu Douglas Scott (4 March 1904 – 1 June 1984), fourth daughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch & 9th Duke of Queensberry, and Lady Margaret Alice Bridgeman.[2] They were cousins through their common descent from Richard Lumley, 9th Earl of Scarbrough. They had four children before divorcing in 1946:[9]

He married secondly on 12 December 1946,[9] Diana Mary Henderson (10 January 1911 – 6 June 1982),[15] granddaughter of Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon,[2] and widow of Lt.-Col. David Walter Arthur William Forbes.[9] They had one daughter:

Great Court Run

In June 1927, in his final year at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Burghley sprinted around Great Court at Trinity College at midnight in the time it took the college clock to toll 12 o'clock. This inspired the scene in the film Chariots of Fire in which Harold Abrahams accomplishes the same feat. The character Lord Andrew Lindsay in Chariots of Fire, played by Nigel Havers, is based upon Burghley, but he did not allow his name to be used because of the inaccurate historical depiction in the film. There was never a race in which Abrahams beat Burghley in this feat as the film suggests; in fact, Abrahams never attempted the Great Court Run.[16]

Burghley was the firstScript error: No such module "Unsubst". to run the Script error: No such module "convert". around the court in the 43.6 seconds that it takes the clock to strike 12 o'clock. Known as the Great Court Run, students traditionally attempted to complete the circuit on the night of the Matriculation Dinner; in modern times the run is attempted at noon.[16]

References

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  1. ↑ The Daily Telegraph, p.32, 23 October 1981
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Template:Cite Sports-Reference
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Exeter, 6th Marquess ofScript error: No such module "Unsubst". in Who's Who 2007 (retrieved 29 September 2007)
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Activist athlete John Carlos is Brighton lecturer; Sports Journalists' Association 2 March 2012
  8. ↑ "50 stunning Olympic moments No13: Tommie Smith and John Carlos salute" The Guardian 8 February 2012
  9. ↑ a b c d e f g h Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
  10. ↑ Peter W. Hammond, editor, The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda (Stroud, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Sutton Publishing, 1998), p. 66.
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b c Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, volume 1, p. 1365. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
  15. ↑ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, volume 1, p. 1390. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
  16. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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Sporting positions
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Presidents of the IAAF
1946–1976 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check President of Organizing Committee for Summer Olympic Games
1948 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Template:Error
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Member of Parliament for Peterborough
1931–1943 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Governor of Bermuda
1943–1945 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Rector of the University of St Andrews
1949–1952 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Marquess of Exeter
1956–1981 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by

Script error: No such module "Navbox". Template:Footer Commonwealth Champions 110m Hurdles Men Template:Footer Commonwealth Champions 400m Hurdles Men Template:Footer Commonwealth Champions 4x400 m Men Template:Footer Great Britain athletics team at the 1924 Summer Olympics

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