Jack Shea
Encyclopedia
John Amos Shea better known as Jack Shea or The Chief, was an American double-Gold medalist in speed skating
at the 1932 Winter Olympics
. He was the first American to win two Gold medals at one Winter Olympics edition, and was the patriarch of the first family with three generations of Winter Olympians. Along with his compatriot Irving Jaffee
, he was the most successful athlete at the 1932 Winter Olympics.
Shea won Gold medals in the 500-meter and 1500-meter events at the III Olympic Winter Games
in his hometown of Lake Placid, New York
. He also recited the Olympic Oath
at the Games' opening ceremonies, which were presided over by then-New York State Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt
. Shea chose not to defend his Olympic titles at the 1936 Winter Olympics
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
, at the request of a Lake Placid rabbi who asked him not to compete in Hitler's Germany.
Decades later, Shea played a major role in returning the Winter Olympics to Lake Placid in 1980 as a member of the 1980 Olympic Organizing Committee. Afterward, he served as Vice Chairman of the Olympic Regional Development Authority
, the organization that manages the venues used in the 1980 Games.
His son, Jim Shea, Sr., was a 1964 Olympian in Nordic Combined and Cross Country Skiing
; his grandson, Jim Shea, Jr.
was the Gold medalist in men's Skeleton Sledding at the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City. In the lead-up to the Salt Lake Games, Jack participated in the Olympic torch relay, lighting a cauldron at the speed skating oval in Lake Placid where he had won his medals in 1932. Shea was killed in a head-on automobile collision by a drunk driver 17 days before he was to watch his grandson participate in the Salt Lake Games. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter02/bobsled/story?id=1337449http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reporter/slips/15754.htmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/winterolympics2002/hi/english/skating/newsid_1776000/1776146.stm
and briefly attended Albany Law School
, leaving to support his family during the Great Depression
in a series of jobs in Lake Placid. From 1958 to 1974, he was town Justice, and from 1974 until his retirement in 1983 he was the Supervisor of the town of North Elba
.
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
at the 1932 Winter Olympics
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...
. He was the first American to win two Gold medals at one Winter Olympics edition, and was the patriarch of the first family with three generations of Winter Olympians. Along with his compatriot Irving Jaffee
Irving Jaffee
Irving Warren Jaffee was an American speed skater who won two gold medals at the 1932 Winter Olympics, becoming the most successful athlete there along with his compatriot Jack Shea.-Early life:Jaffee, who was Jewish, was born to Jewish parents who had emigrated from Russia in 1896...
, he was the most successful athlete at the 1932 Winter Olympics.
Shea won Gold medals in the 500-meter and 1500-meter events at the III Olympic Winter Games
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...
in his hometown of Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
. He also recited the Olympic Oath
Olympic Oath
The Olympic Oath is a solemn promise made by one athlete -- as a representative of each of the participating Olympic competitors; and by one judge -- as a representative of each officiating Olympic referee or other official, at the opening ceremonies of each Olympic Games...
at the Games' opening ceremonies, which were presided over by then-New York State Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. Shea chose not to defend his Olympic titles at the 1936 Winter Olympics
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
, at the request of a Lake Placid rabbi who asked him not to compete in Hitler's Germany.
Decades later, Shea played a major role in returning the Winter Olympics to Lake Placid in 1980 as a member of the 1980 Olympic Organizing Committee. Afterward, he served as Vice Chairman of the Olympic Regional Development Authority
Olympic Regional Development Authority
The Olympic Regional Development Authority is a New York State public benefit corporations, created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid, New York...
, the organization that manages the venues used in the 1980 Games.
His son, Jim Shea, Sr., was a 1964 Olympian in Nordic Combined and Cross Country Skiing
Nordic skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics
At the 1964 Winter Olympics, ten Nordic skiing events were contested – seven cross-country skiing events, two ski jumping events, and one nordic combined event....
; his grandson, Jim Shea, Jr.
Jimmy Shea
James Edmound Shea, Jr. is a retired American skeleton racer who won the Gold medal in dramatic fashion at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Shea also was chosen by fellow athletes to recite the Athlete's Oath during the Opening Ceremonies and along with his father, Jim Shea Sr., passed...
was the Gold medalist in men's Skeleton Sledding at the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City. In the lead-up to the Salt Lake Games, Jack participated in the Olympic torch relay, lighting a cauldron at the speed skating oval in Lake Placid where he had won his medals in 1932. Shea was killed in a head-on automobile collision by a drunk driver 17 days before he was to watch his grandson participate in the Salt Lake Games. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter02/bobsled/story?id=1337449http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reporter/slips/15754.htmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/winterolympics2002/hi/english/skating/newsid_1776000/1776146.stm
Outside of sports
Shea attended Lake Placid High School, graduated from Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and briefly attended Albany Law School
Albany Law School
Albany Law School is an ABA accredited law school based in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 by Amos Dean , Amasa Parker, Ira Harris and others....
, leaving to support his family during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in a series of jobs in Lake Placid. From 1958 to 1974, he was town Justice, and from 1974 until his retirement in 1983 he was the Supervisor of the town of North Elba
North Elba, New York
North Elba is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the island of Elba.North Elba is on the western edge of the county...
.