James Isaac Wendell (September 3, 1890 – November 22, 1958) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 athlete who competed mainly in the 110 metre hurdles.

He competed for the United States in the 1912 Summer Olympics

1912 Summer Olympics

The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...

 held in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 in the 110 metre hurdles where he won the silver medal, part of an American sweep of that event.

After his Olympic career, Wendell has a successful career in education. He was a master of English and assistant track coach at The Hill School

The Hill School

The Hill School is a preparatory boarding school for boys and girls located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia....

 (1913–1928), an elite boarding school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania

Pottstown, Pennsylvania

Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States northwest of Philadelphia and southeast of Reading, on the Schuylkill River. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the...

, where he was subsequently named headmaster (1928–1952). A teammate of his on the 1912 Olympic Team, General George S. Patton

George S. Patton

George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...

, later sent his son to The Hill while Wendell was headmaster. During Wendell's tenure as headmaster Hill graduate William ("Bill") Franklin Porter II, class of 1944, won a gold medal in the 110 metre hurdles at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

In 2008, Wendell was named to Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...

's Athletic Hall of Fame. He graduated from the school in 1913, having broken several track and field records in his time at the school.