James Crowden
Encyclopedia
James Gee Pascoe Crowden (born 14 November 1927) is a former British rower
who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics
. He was Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
.
Crowden was born in Tilney All Saints
, near Wisbech
. He grew up in Peterborough
and attended King's School before going on to Bedford School
. He had his first victory at Henley Royal Regatta
in 1946 as part of the school team which won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
, which that year was presented by the future Queen herself. He then went to Pembroke College, Cambridge
. In 1951 he was part of the winning Cambridge
boat in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in the year when Oxford sank, and the umpire stopped the race and ordered a rerow the following Monday. He went to the United States to compete against American college teams at Yale and Harvard and won Silver Goblets at Henley partnering Charles Lloyd
. Also in 1951, he won gold at the European Championships at Mâcon
, in France
. He was in the Boat Race again in 1952, when Cambridge lost and he competed in the coxless four
s at the 1952 Summer Olympics
in Helsinki
. Crowden became the Cambridge crew's coach for the next 20 years.
Crowden followed in the family profession, and became a chartered surveyor with a firm of auctioneers. He was High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely in 1970 and was Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
from 3 July 1992 to 20 August 2003
Crowden is a vice-president of the British Olympic Association
and a Steward of Henley Regatta. He was involved with the Cambridgeshire Olympic Committee, and with Peterborough Rowing Club.
His first wife Kathleen died in 1989 and his only son Richard was killed in a road accident in 1982. His second wife Margaret was his brother's widow, and died in November 2009.
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
. He was Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire. The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representative in the counties of the United Kingdom. The Lord Lieutenant is supported by a Vice Lord Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenants which he or...
.
Crowden was born in Tilney All Saints
Tilney All Saints
Tilney All Saints is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 563 in 230 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk....
, near Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
. He grew up in Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
and attended King's School before going on to Bedford School
Bedford School
Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Modern School or Bedford High School or Old Bedford School in Bedford, TexasBedford School is an HMC independent school for boys located in the town of Bedford, England, United Kingdom...
. He had his first victory at Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
in 1946 as part of the school team which won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup is a rowing event at Henley Royal Regatta open to school 1st VIIIs.-History:The event was instituted in 1946 for public schools in the United Kingdom...
, which that year was presented by the future Queen herself. He then went to Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
. In 1951 he was part of the winning Cambridge
Cambridge University Boat Club
The Cambridge University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England, located on the River Cam at Cambridge, although training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The club was founded in 1828...
boat in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in the year when Oxford sank, and the umpire stopped the race and ordered a rerow the following Monday. He went to the United States to compete against American college teams at Yale and Harvard and won Silver Goblets at Henley partnering Charles Lloyd
Charles Lloyd (rower)
Charles Brian Murray Lloyd was a British rower who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics and in the 1952 Summer Olympics....
. Also in 1951, he won gold at the European Championships at Mâcon
Mâcon
Mâcon is a small city in central France. It is prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department, in the region of Bourgogne, and the capital of the Mâconnais district. Mâcon is home to over 35,000 residents, called Mâconnais.-Geography:...
, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He was in the Boat Race again in 1952, when Cambridge lost and he competed in the coxless four
Coxless four
A coxless four is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars.The crew consists of four rowers, each having one oar. There are two rowers on the stroke side and two on the bow side...
s at the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. Crowden became the Cambridge crew's coach for the next 20 years.
Crowden followed in the family profession, and became a chartered surveyor with a firm of auctioneers. He was High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely in 1970 and was Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire. The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representative in the counties of the United Kingdom. The Lord Lieutenant is supported by a Vice Lord Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenants which he or...
from 3 July 1992 to 20 August 2003
Crowden is a vice-president of the British Olympic Association
British Olympic Association
The British Olympic Association is the national Olympic committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It was formed in 1905 in the House of Commons, and at that time consisted of seven national governing body members from the following sports: fencing, life-saving, cycling, skating, rowing,...
and a Steward of Henley Regatta. He was involved with the Cambridgeshire Olympic Committee, and with Peterborough Rowing Club.
His first wife Kathleen died in 1989 and his only son Richard was killed in a road accident in 1982. His second wife Margaret was his brother's widow, and died in November 2009.