Andrew Sockalexis was an American

United States

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

 track and field athlete

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 who competed 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...

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Early life

Sockalexis was born on January 11, 1891, in Old Town, Maine

Old Town, Maine

Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,840 at the 2010 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on a relatively large island, though its boundaries extend beyond that...

, a member of the Penobscot Indian Nation. His older cousin was baseball player Louis Sockalexis

Louis Sockalexis

Louis Francis "Chief" Sockalexis , nicknamed The Deerfoot of the Diamond, was an American baseball player...

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Career

In 1912 he finished fourth at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon|marathon competition]], and, in both 1912 and 1913, placed second in the Boston Marathon.

Personal life

Andrew married a fellow Penobscot, Pauline Shay from his reservation village at Indian Island, Old Town, Maine.

Death

After several years of suffering from tuberculosis, he died on August 16, 1919 in Oxford, Maine.

External links

• profile