George Orton
1873-1958
Category: Athlete
Year of Induction: 2009
Born in Strathroy (Ontario, Canada), George overcame a paralyzing childhood accident to become the best middle-distance runner in the world. A gifted student, he attended the University of Toronto and the University of Pennsylvania, earning a PhD in Languages. He won a total of 131 races, including 33 national and international championships, and setting the mile record of 4:21.8 which stood for 42 years. In addition, Orton and his University of Pennsylvania teammates set world records in the 4x800m and 4x1mile relay races.
Orton was the first athlete from Canada to be an Olympic champion, however because Canada did not send an official team to the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris (France), the Canadian-born athlete competed for the United States because of his connection to the University of Pennsylvania. At the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris (France), George won gold in the 2500m steeplechase; bronze in the 400m hurdles; finished fifth in the 2500m steeplechase. Orton won both of his medals in less than one hour on July 15, 1900.
Upon retiring, George wrote several books on running. It was not until after his death in 1958 that his medal win in at the 1900 Olympic Games was recognized as the first gold medal ever won by a Canadian.
George is a member of the University of Toronto Hall of Fame (1997); the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (1977); and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1996).
