Ralph Metcalfe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1971 – October 10, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | William Dawson |
| Succeeded by | Bennett Stewart |
| Member of theChicago City Council from the3rd Ward | |
| In office April 1955 – December 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Archibald Carey Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Tyrone Kenner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ralph Harold Metcalfe (1910-05-29)May 29, 1910 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | October 10, 1978(1978-10-10) (aged 68) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holy Sepulchre Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 son |
| Education | Marquette University (BPhil) University of Southern California (MA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sAthletics | ||
Representingthe United States | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1936 Berlin | 4 × 100 m relay |
 | 1932 Los Angeles | 100 meters |
| 1936 Berlin | 100 meters |
 | 1932 Los Angeles | 200 meters |
Ralph Harold Metcalfe Sr. (May 29, 1910 – October 10, 1978) was an American track and fieldsprinter and politician. He jointly held theworld record in the100-meter dash and placed second in that event in two Olympics, first toEddie Tolan in 1932 atLos Angeles and then toJesse Owens at the1936 Olympics inBerlin,Germany. Metcalfe won four Olympic medals and was regarded as the world's fastest human in 1934 and 1935.[1]
He later went into politics in the city of Chicago and served in theUnited States Congress for four terms in the 1970s as aDemocrat fromIllinois.
Born inAtlanta, Georgia, Metcalfe grew up in Chicago and graduated high school fromTilden Tech in 1930.[2]
He accepted a trackscholarship toMarquette University inMilwaukee,Wisconsin, and equaled the record of 10.3 seconds in the 100 m on a number of occasions, as well as equaling the200 m record of 20.6 seconds. He became the first man to win theNCAA 200 m title three times consecutively.[3]
At the1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he virtually dead-heated with his rivalEddie Tolan, with the gold medal awarded to Tolan only after extended study of the photograph; both recorded a time of 10.38 seconds in the100 meters. Metcalfe also earned a bronze medal at these games, in the200 meters.
He competed again at the1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, and again took silver in the100 meters, this time behind four-time gold medalist Owens. They wongold in the4 × 100 meter relay withFoy Draper andFrank Wykoff; the U.S. won by 1.1 seconds over runner-up Italy, and Germany took bronze. Fierce rivals on the track, Metcalfe and Owens became lifelong friends.[4]
Metcalfe was convinced to the end of his life that the 100 m should have been awarded as a tie between him and Eddie Tolan: "I have never been convinced I was defeated. It should have been a tie."[5] Film evidence and that of observers of the race seem to support Metcalfe's verdict. TheAAU later changed their rules to have the winner being the first athlete to cross the line not merely breast the tape. It was the latter that Tolan was judged to have done first. The AAU went further and awarded the race as a tie but theInternational Olympic Committee has never agreed to this change. They maintain the result stands because the judges decided in line with the rules at the time that Eddie Tolan's entire torso had passed the finish line on the ground before Metcalfe's.[6] In addition, even though credited with same time as Tolan, 10.3 s, a time that equaled the then world record, Metcalfe's time was never ratified as a world record.
In the 200 m, Metcalfe was embroiled in further controversy. Observers at the time claimed the marking for his starting holes were 3–4 feet behind where they should have been. Others claimed this discrepancy was the result of an optical illusion because George Simpson in the lane outside cut his holes on the outside of his lane whilst Metcalfe used the inside of his. In any case, Metcalfe was offered a re-run but refused because he feared the United States would not be able to repeat its 1–2–3.[6]
In the sprint relay, Metcalfe became involved in a controversy not of his own making. Originally the United States chose for the relay the athletes who had come 4th to 7th in the trials. Two of these athletes,Sam Stoller andMarty Glickman, were replaced with Metcalfe and Jesse Owens allegedly because the former were Jewish. Metcalfe and Owens were undoubtedly the superior sprinters but they had not done the relay baton practice and the switch went against established practice.[5]
Whilst all world attention was onJesse Owens winning the gold in the 100 m it is often ignored that Metcalfe won the silver in an equally outstanding performance.
Metcalfe was United States Champion at 100 m between 1932 and 1934 (and was 2nd in 1935–36) and at 200 m between 1932 and 1936.[7]
In all he won 16 national titles at the AAU Championships, NCAA Championships and Final Olympic Trials.[5][8]
Metcalfe 16 times broke or equaled world record times at various distances. However, only 5 of these were ever officially ratified by the athletics governing body, theIAAF. The ratified times were:[9]
After earning his bachelor's degree at Marquette in 1936, Metcalfe completed a master's degree at theUniversity of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1939. Metcalfe taught political science and coached track atXavier University inNew Orleans, recruiting athletes to the university likeJimmie McDaniel andHerb Douglas. He served in thetransportation corps ofU.S. Army inWorld War II, rising to the rank offirst lieutenant and awarded theLegion of Merit medal. After the war, he moved back to Chicago and later headed the state's athletic commission.
In 1955, Metcalfe won the first of four elections as analderman representing theSouth Side of Chicago. He ran for an open seat in Congress in1970 as a Democrat and was easily elected from Illinois' first district. The seat had been filled for 28 years byWilliam L. Dawson, who was retiring at age 84 due to poor health and then died less than a week after the 1970 election. Metcalfe was a co-founder of theCongressional Black Caucus (CBC) in 1971 and later was noted for breaking ranks with Chicago mayorRichard Daley after incidents of police brutality.
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While running for re-election in1978, Metcalfe died from a heart attack at his South Side apartment on October 10, at the age of 68. He had previously had a heart attack in 1967.[10]
Metcalfe married Gertrude Eva Pemberton on June 9, 1937, at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas.[11] They divorced in Los Angeles, California in 1943. Metcalfe married Madalynne Fay Young in 1947,[12] and they had one son, Ralph Metcalfe Jr., ablues music historian.[13]
Metcalfe was a member ofAlpha Phi Alphafraternity,Alpha Sigma Nu honor society, theKnights of Peter Claver, and Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Chicago'sBronzeville neighborhood.[14] He had converted toCatholicism in 1932, while an undergraduate at Marquette.[15][16]
A federal office building in Chicago (at 77 W. Jackson Blvd.) was named for Metcalfe upon its completion in 1991.[17]
Metcalfe was inducted into theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975 and named a member of the President'sCommission on Olympic Sports.
In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the eighteen Black American athletes, including interviews with Metcalfe's son, was documented in the filmOlympic Pride, American Prejudice.[18]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph H. Metcalfe | 42,575 | 71.05 | |
| Democratic | A. A. Rayner, Jr. | 17,346 | 28.95 | |
| Total votes | 59,921 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph H. Metcalfe | 93,272 | 90.96 | |
| Republican | Janet Roberts Jennings | 9,267 | 9.04 | |
| Total votes | 102,539 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph H. Metcalfe (incumbent) | 61,927 | 99.99 | |
| Write-in | 9 | 0.01 | ||
| Total votes | 61,936 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph H. Metcalfe (incumbent) | 136,755 | 91.39 | |
| Republican | Louis H. Coggs | 12,877 | 8.61 | |
| Write-in | 2 | 0.00 | ||
| Total votes | 149,634 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph H. Metcalfe (incumbent) | 45,789 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 45,789 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph H. Metcalfe (incumbent) | 75,206 | 93.74 | |
| Republican | Oscar H. Haynes | 4,399 | 5.48 | |
| Socialist Workers | Willie Mae Reid | 620 | 0.77 | |
| Total votes | 80,225 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph H. Metcalfe (incumbent) | 56,101 | 71.81 | |
| Democratic | Erwin A. France | 22,028 | 28.19 | |
| Total votes | 78,129 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph H. Metcalfe (incumbent) | 126,632 | 92.30 | |
| Republican | A. A. Rayner, Jr. | 10,147 | 7.40 | |
| Workers' Party | Debra Simonsen | 211 | 0.15 | |
| Socialist Workers | Andrew C. Pulley | 198 | 0.14 | |
| Write-in | 5 | 0.00 | ||
| Total votes | 137,193 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph H. Metcalfe (incumbent) | 26,814 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 26,814 | 100.0 | ||
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 1st congressional district 1971–1978 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Response to the State of the Union address 1972 Served alongside:Carl Albert,Lloyd Bentsen,Hale Boggs,John Brademas,Frank Church,Thomas Eagleton,Martha Griffiths,John Melcher,William Proxmire,Leonor Sullivan | Vacant Title next held by Mike Mansfield1974 |
USTFCCCA Collegiate Track & Field/Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame | ||
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| Class of 2022 |
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| Class of 2023 | ||
| Class of 2024 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
