John Heaton (athlete)
Encyclopedia
John Rutherford "Jack" Heaton (September 9, 1908–September 10, 1976) was an American
bobsledder and skeleton
racer who competed from the late 1920s to the late 1940s.
Heaton was the youngest son of John Edward Heaton and Florence Caroline Trowbridge of New Haven, Connecticut
. He had two brothers, Jennison
(also an Olympic bobsledder and skeleton racer) and Trowbridge. Heaton married four times, first to Gwendolyn Robinson de Alzaga Unzue in 1937. He married Denise Paule Genest in 1950 and had a son, John Edward Heaton, born in 1951. He then married Heidi Von Lauer Mundchofen in 1959 and Beatrix Bayer in 1965.
Heaton competed in three Winter Olympics in 1928
, 1932
, and 1948
. He won two silver medals in the skeleton in 1928 and 1948, and one bronze in the bobsled in 1932. At the 1948 games in St. Moritz
, Switzerland
, he was the American team's flag bearer at the opening ceremonies.
In the late 1920s, Heaton toured the world with friends Billy Fiske
(fellow Olympic medalist and World War II
hero) and Francis "Frankie" Rhodes (nephew of Cecil Rhodes). They traveled to Tahiti
, Bali
, India
and South Africa
.
The Heaton Gold Cup was presented in 1933 by the three Heaton brothers and their mother. It remains one of the classic skeleton events of the St. Moritz "Cresta" season. Heaton was one of the pioneers of the Portillo ski resort
and skiing in Chile
in the 1940s. The Roca Jack is named after him.
Heaton died in Paris
, France
, in 1976 at age 68.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bobsledder and skeleton
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
racer who competed from the late 1920s to the late 1940s.
Heaton was the youngest son of John Edward Heaton and Florence Caroline Trowbridge of New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. He had two brothers, Jennison
Jennison Heaton
Jennison Heaton was an American bobsled and skeleton racer who competed in the late 1920s. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut. At the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, he won two medals with a gold in the men's skeleton event and a silver in the five-man bobsleigh competition...
(also an Olympic bobsledder and skeleton racer) and Trowbridge. Heaton married four times, first to Gwendolyn Robinson de Alzaga Unzue in 1937. He married Denise Paule Genest in 1950 and had a son, John Edward Heaton, born in 1951. He then married Heidi Von Lauer Mundchofen in 1959 and Beatrix Bayer in 1965.
Heaton competed in three Winter Olympics in 1928
1928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...
, 1932
1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...
, and 1948
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
. He won two silver medals in the skeleton in 1928 and 1948, and one bronze in the bobsled in 1932. At the 1948 games in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, he was the American team's flag bearer at the opening ceremonies.
In the late 1920s, Heaton toured the world with friends Billy Fiske
Billy Fiske
William Meade Lindsley "Billy" Fiske III was the 1928 and 1932 Olympic champion bobsled driver and, following Jimmy Davies, was one of the first American pilots killed in action in World War II...
(fellow Olympic medalist and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hero) and Francis "Frankie" Rhodes (nephew of Cecil Rhodes). They traveled to Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
, Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
The Heaton Gold Cup was presented in 1933 by the three Heaton brothers and their mother. It remains one of the classic skeleton events of the St. Moritz "Cresta" season. Heaton was one of the pioneers of the Portillo ski resort
Portillo, Chile
Portillo is a ski resort located from Santiago, Chile, near the city of Los Andes. It rises 2880 meters above sea level and its highest point reaches 3332 meters above sea level. Ski Portillo has 23 ski trails and 12 lifts....
and skiing in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
in the 1940s. The Roca Jack is named after him.
Heaton died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, in 1976 at age 68.