Nickname(s) "Bill" Sport Swimming | National team United States Name William Orthwein | |
Full name William Robert Orthwein Born October 16, 1881 ( 1881-10-16 ) St. Louis, Missouri Died October 2, 1955(1955-10-02) (aged 73)
St. Louis, Missouri Strokes Backstroke, freestyle, water polo | ||
William Robert Orthwein (October 16, 1881 – October 2, 1955) was an American sportsman, attorney, business executive and political activist.
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Early life
William Robert Orthwein was born on October 16, 1881. His father, William D. Orthwein, was a German-born grain merchant.
Orthwein graduated from Yale University. While at Yale in November 1902, he was arrested on charges of assaulting a ticket seller for a Yale-Harvard football game; one month later, he was fined for it.
Orthwein competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics as a freestyle and backstroke swimmer and water polo player. He won a bronze medals as a member of American 4x50-yard freestyle relay team and as a member of the Missouri Athletic Club water polo team. He also finished fourth in the 100-yard backstroke.
Orthwein received a law degree from the Washington University School of Law.
Career
Orthwein was an attorney. He served as the vice president and general counsel of the Kinloch Telephone Company in 1920. In that capacity, he refused to sell the business to the Bell Telephone Company.
During World War II, he served as a supply commissioner for the City of St. Louis. Meanwhile, Orthwein joined the Republican Party. In 1948, he ran unsuccessful for the nomination of lieutenant-governor.
Personal life
Orthwein married Nina Kent Baldwin. They had a son, William R. Orthwein, Jr..
Death
Orthwein died on October 2, 1955 at the Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.