Hermann de Pourtalès facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 31 March 1847 Neuchâtel, Switzerland |
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| Died | 28 November 1904 (aged 57) Geneva, Switzerland |
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| Sailing career | |||||||||||||||||
| Class(es) | 1 to 2 ton Open class |
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| Club | Union des Yachtsmen | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Hermann Alexander de Pourtalès (born March 31, 1847, died November 28, 1904) was a talented sailor from Switzerland. He is best known for competing in the 1900 Summer Olympics held in Paris.
Contents
Early Life and Family History
Hermann de Pourtalès was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, on March 31, 1847. His father was Count Alexandre Joseph de Pourtalès. His family, the Pourtalès, were French Huguenots. This means they were French Protestants who moved to Neuchâtel. They settled there after the Edict of Nantes was cancelled in 1685. This cancellation made it difficult for Protestants to live in France.
Hermann had a sister named Isabelle Marguerite de Pourtales. She married a famous archaeologist named Henri Édouard Naville. He was an Egyptologist, which means he studied ancient Egypt. He even discovered a statue of the ancient pharaoh Ramesses II.
Hermann's Career and Achievements
Before becoming an Olympic sailor, Pourtalès had a military career. He was a captain in the Cuirassiers of the Guard. This was a special cavalry unit that served the King of Prussia, Wilhelm I. Wilhelm I later became the first German Emperor.
Olympic Sailing Success
Hermann de Pourtalès was part of the Swiss sailing team at the 1900 Paris Olympics. He sailed on a boat named Lérina. His team achieved great success in the 1 to 2 ton class. They won a gold medal in the first race. They also earned a silver medal in the second race of the same class.
He also took part in the open class sailing event. However, his team did not finish that race. What's really cool is that his wife, Hélène, and his nephew, Bernard, were also on the Lérina crew. This made them one of the first families to compete together in the Olympics!
Personal Life and Family
Hermann de Pourtalès was married twice. His first wife was Marguerite "Daisy" Marcet. She was the daughter of William Marcet, who was the president of the Royal Meteorological Society. After they married, they moved back to Switzerland in 1887. They lived near Geneva.
Hermann and Marguerite had four children:
- Count Guy de Pourtalès (1881–1941) became a writer.
- Count Raimond Pourtalès (1882–1914) worked for the German embassy. He married Countess Luise Alexandra von Bernstorff. Her father was the German Ambassador to the United States. Their wedding in Washington, D.C., was a big event. Even William Howard Taft, who was the President of the United States at the time, attended!
- Constance Catherine Henriette de Pourtalès (1884–1973).
- Augusta von Pourtalès (1886–1972).
After Marguerite passed away in 1888, Hermann married again in 1891. His second wife was an American heiress named Helen Barbey. She was the daughter of Henry Isaac Barbey. Her grandfather was Pierre Lorillard III, a very wealthy businessman. After their marriage, Hermann and Helen lived in Mies, Switzerland.
Count de Pourtalès passed away on November 28, 1904, in Geneva, Switzerland.
