Ralph Metcalfe
| Ralph Metcalfe | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 1st district |
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In office January 3, 1971 – October 10, 1978 |
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| Preceded by | William Dawson |
| Succeeded by | Bennett M. Stewart |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ralph Harold Metcalfe May 29, 1910 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | October 10, 1978 (aged 68) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holy Sepulchre Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Gertrude Pemberton (1937–1943) Madalynne Young (1947–1978) |
| Children | 1 son |
| Education |
Marquette University (BPhil) University of Southern California (MA) |
| Medal record | ||
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| Men's Athletics | ||
Representing the United States
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| Olympic Games | ||
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1936 Berlin | 4×100 m relay |
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1932 Los Angeles | 100 meters |
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1936 Berlin | 100 meters |
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1932 Los Angeles | 200 meters |
Ralph Harold Metcalfe Sr. (May 29, 1910 – October 10, 1978) was an American track and field sprinter and politician. He jointly held the world record in the 100-meter dash and placed second in that event in two Olympics, first to Eddie Tolan and then to Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Metcalfe won four Olympic medals and was regarded as the world’s fastest human in 1934 and 1935. He later went into politics and in the city of Chicago and served in the United States Congress for four terms in the 1970s as a Democrat from Illinois.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Metcalfe grew up in Chicago and graduated high school from Tilden Tech in 1930. He accepted a track scholarship to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and equaled the record of 10.3 seconds in the 100 m on a number of occasions, as well as equaling the 200 m record of 20.6 seconds. He became the first man to win the NCAA 200 m title three times consecutively. At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he virtually dead-heated with his rival Eddie Tolan, with the gold medal awarded to Tolan only after extended study of the photograph; both recorded a time of 10.38 seconds in the 100 meters. Metcalfe also earned a bronze medal at these games, in the 200 meters. He competed again at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, and again took silver in the 100 meters, this time behind four-time gold medalist Owens. They won gold in the 4×100 meter relay with Foy Draper and Frank 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 (1913–1980) became lifelong friends.
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