Ottley Russell Coulter
Ottley Russell Coulter | |
|---|---|
 Coulter in 1911 | |
| Born | June 6, 1890 Parkman, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 1976 |
| Education | Hiram College |
| Occupation(s) | Strongman, weightlifter, police officer |
| Spouse | Ethel Alexander |
| Children | 3 |
Ottley Russell Coulter (June 6, 1890 - December 17, 1976) was an American strongman, circus performer, weightlifter and police officer. He was a co-founder of the American Continental Weightlifting Association, and the author of a book about strength athletics.
Early life[edit]
Coulter was born on June 6, 1890, in Parkman, Ohio.[1][2] He attended Hiram College for two years and dropped out.[1]
Career[edit]
Coulter began his career as a circus performer from 1912 to 1916,[3] including for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.[4] He also worked for US Steel.[4] In the late 1910s, he became a municipal police officer in Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania.[4] To discourage the use of firearms, Coulter taught hand-to-hand combat in the police department.[1]
An early bodybuilder, Coulter was also a wrestler and powerlifter.[1][4] In the 1920s, he co-founded the American Continental Weightlifting Association with George F. Jowett and David P. Willoughby.[3][5] He was an early proponent of tracking progress in the performance of weight-lifters.[3] Coulter wrote articles in Strength, a magazine published by Alan Calvert, in the 1920s.[6] In 1952, he authored of a book about strength athletics.[1]
Personal life and death[edit]
Coulter collected books and magazines related to physical culture. His collection is stored at the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports.[1]
With his Scottish-born wife née Ethel Alexander,[7] Coulter had three children.[1] They resided in Lemont Furnace.[4] His wife predeceased him in 1972.[7]
Coulter died on December 17, 1976, in Lemont Furnace, at age 86.[2][4] He was buried in the Sylvan Heights Cemetery.[4]
Selected works[edit]
- Coulter, Ottley R. (1952). How to Perform Strongman Stunts.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g "The Ottley R. Coulter Sport Photography Collection: A Finding Aid to the Collection at the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports". Texas Archival Resource Online. University of Texas Libraries. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
- ^ a b "Coulter Dies". The Morning Herald. Uniontown, Pennsylvania. December 18, 1976. p. 11. Retrieved January 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Todd, Jan; Murphy, Michael (2001). "Portrait of a Strongman: The Circus Career of Ottley Russell Coulter: 1912-1916". Iron Game History. 7 (1): 4–21.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Coulter, Ottley Russell". The Morning Herald. Uniontown, Pennsylvania. December 20, 1976. p. 49. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
- ^ Fair, John D. (May 1993). "George Jowett, Ottley Coulter, David Willoughby and the Organization of American Weightlifting, 1911-1924" (PDF). Iron Game History. 2 (6): 3–15. Retrieved January 4, 2019 – via H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports.
- ^ Beckwith, Kimberly; Todd, Jan (August 2005). "Strength, America's First Muscle Magazine: 1914-1935". Iron Game History: The Journal of Physical Culture. 9 (1): 11–28.
- ^ a b "Deaths: Mrs Ottley Coulter". Public Opinion. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. April 28, 1972. p. 11. Retrieved January 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1890 births
- 1976 deaths
- People from Geauga County, Ohio
- People from Fayette County, Pennsylvania
- Hiram College alumni
- American circus performers
- American strength athletes
- American male weightlifters
- American municipal police officers
- People associated with physical culture
- Strength training writers
- 20th-century American writers