Charles Edward Courtney (November 13, 1849 – July 17, 1920) was an American rower and rowing coach from Union Springs, New York. A carpenter by trade, Courtney was a nationally known amateur rower. Courtney never lost a race as an amateur and finished a total of 88 victories.
In 1877, he moved from an amateur to a professional rower, a decision that Courtney would later regret. His professional career was marred by controversy and accusations including cowardice and race fixing. His professional career was best remembered for his controversial losses to Ned Hanlan.
As his rowing career wound down, Courtney became involved in coaching at Cornell University. He coached Cornell's rowing team from 1883 to 1920. His crews won 14 of 24 varsity eight-oar titles at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta. He kept his position until he died in the summer of 1920.
Early life Courtney was born the fifth of six children on November 13, 1849, to Mr. and Mrs. James Thomas Courtney in Union Springs, New York, a small town on the north end of Cayuga Lake at the time noted for pleasure and racing yachts. Courtney's father died when he was six. From about the age of seven, he was rowing on the lake and would race other local children.
At 12, Courtney built his first boat out of hemlock boards and two-inch planks that he had found. Due to his poor workmanship he plastered yellow clay on his boat to keep it water-tight. Once on the water the clay would eventually be washed away. This did not stop him and his friends from racing the boat. They would take turns to see who row it the farthest before it sank.
After graduating from high school, Courtney went to work as a carpenter. After working for several local carpenters and architects, he went started his own carpentry business with his brother John called Courtney Brothers.
Amateur rower
Introduction into competitive racing In the late 1860s, Courtney and his childhood friend, William Cozzens, built a small boat based on John MacGregor's "Rob Roy" canoe that MacGregor used on a trip through England, Scotland and other parts of Europe. Cozzens had found a description of the canoe in a magazine article and talked Courtney into building a similar craft. Their boat (24 inches wide, 9 inches deep, and 16 feet long) was eventually outfitted with oars that Courtney and Cozzens also made themselves.Hewett, pp. 211–212
Shortly after the canoe was finished, Courtney entered a single scull race in Aurora, New York. He raced in his modified canoe that weighed , while several of his competitors raced in racing shells. Even with the weight disadvantage, Courtney won the race by nearly half a mile.Hewett, pp. 213–214
From canoe to racing shell Courtney continued to race at local events. As he got better at racing, he used boats with smaller and smaller widths, and eventfully raced in a regular racing shell. It was Courtney's opinion that this slow stepping-down in width allowed him to master control of each new boat. By the time he raced in Syracuse, New York on June 25, 1873, he was using a 23-feet long, 19-inch wide lap-streak boat that he bought in Geneva, New York. Courtney won the race by a quarter-mile over a field that included noted New York City rowers Charles Smith and William Bishop.Hewett, p. 215
After the Syracuse race, Courtney finally bought a racing shell. The 35-feet long, 12-inch wide, 30-pound shell cost $126. At the time, Courtney was only making $1 a day as a carpenter. Courtney and his friend raised the money from the residents of Union Springs. They came up short, so a local doctor wrote a note for the last $40.Hewett, p. 216
In September 1873, Courtney entered a race in Saratoga, New York with his new racing shell. He won the race against 12 other competitors by over a quarter of a mile. His time of 14 minutes and 15 seconds was a whole minute better than the then professional record held by Josh Ward.Hewett, pp. 217–218
Undefeated amateur champion Courtney would never lose as an amateur rower and finished with a total of 88 victories in single and double scull races.Hewett, p. 207 Among his major victories was the National Association single sculls championship in 1875 at Saratoga where he beat four competitors in the final heat, including noted rower of the day James Riley. In 1876, he won the two amateur rowing championships at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. He won the single scull championship in a time of 10 minutes and 48 seconds on a 1-mile straightaway course. A few days later, he won the double scull championship (with partner Frank E. Yates) in a time of 9 minutes and 52 seconds over the same distance.
Last amateur race On July 14, 1877, Courtney was to race against James E. Riley at Greenwood Lake in New Jersey. Both men were considered the best amateur rowers at that time. Both had announced that after the race they would be turning professional. The 36‑year‑old Courtney came into the race undefeated and had beaten Riley twice before in the summer of 1875. These victories came in Riley's first two competitive single scull races. One of Courtney victories was only by a quarter boat length. Since that time, the 29‑year‑old Riley had rowed 13 races (winning only 8), but did have the fastest time on record. A large crowd was expected to be on hand to watch the scullers. The Montclair and Greenwood Lake Railway added extra trains to meet the demand of rowing fans that wanted to witness the event.
Before the race, Courtney drank a glass of ice tea that was laced with a drug, and was unable to race. A little after noon on the day of the race, Courtney sat down for a meal at a local inn. After the meal, he asked the waitress for ice tea. The waitress went to make the tea but was stopped by the owner of the inn, who told her he would make the tea himself. Courtney experienced a strange sensation of being too hot, and then, too cold. He went up to his room by himself. Eventually, his throat started to burn and his fingers became numb and cold. He began to ache and soon began to vomit. Riley was informed of the situation and went to visit Courtney. After the visit and consulting with the doctors treating his opponent, Riley decided that Courtney was in no condition to row that day. Riley did however row the course for time. Even without competition, he was able to do the course in a time of 20 minutes and 47.5 seconds, which was a new record.
The incident created a sensation throughout the country. The ice tea was never analyzed so the exact drug was not known. There was speculation that tartar emetic or arsenic was the poison. There were also rumors that Hoboken, New Jersey gamblers knew in advance that Courtney would be poisoned. Betting on the race changed from Courtney being a slight favorite to Riley becoming a heavy favorite on the day of the race.
Professional rower
Courtney became a professional rower after the canceled race with Riley. The decision to move into the professional ranks was one Courtney would later regret. When asked later in life why he became a professional, he responded, "Because I was a fool, I had no more business in the professional line than I had of being a preacher."Hewett, p. 220
Even though he did not become a professional until 1877, this did not mean he had not profited from being an amateur rower. Courtney admitted that he was given $450 after he won the Grand National Amateur Regatta at Saratoga in 1873 by local gamblers that profited from his victory. That sum was more than a year's salary as a carpenter.Hewett, pp. 218–219 In the race versus Riley where he was poisoned, Courtney and his brother had bet over $1,000 on his victory in the race. He also stated that before the race was canceled, he expected to receive half the grandstand receipts.
Victory over Riley Courtney's first professional race was the makeup race with Riley on August 28, 1877. Courtney and Riley agreed to a single scull race over a three-mile (5 km) course with a turn (stake race) on Saratoga Lake, and a purse of $800 to the winner. Also included in the race was noted professional rower Frederick Plaisted. Fred Plaisted had been at Greenwood Lake when Courtney was poisoned and was unable to race Riley. He had planned to challenge the winner of that race. To make the race even, all three competitors had to row in identical racing sculls. Both of Courtney's rivals did have an advantage over him. Courtney had not fully recovered from the after-effects of the poisoning and planned to take it slow at the beginning of the race so he would be able to have a strong finish. Courtney was also using shorter oars than he usually used.
A large crowd of over 10,000 spectators showed up came to watch the race. Courtney had the inside (West) position with Paisted in the middle and Riley on the outside (East). When the word "go" was given, all three sculls started moved off the line at the same instant. Courtney stayed down the middle of the course while his competitors moved closer to the East shore. At the quarter mile, Plaisted was a boat length ahead of Riley and almost two lengths ahead of Courtney. By the half mile mark, Courtney had passed both of his rivals. Plaisted retook the lead mile into the race. Riley made a move and passed Courtney, and moved even with Plaisted. Riley and Plaisted's racing sculls almost collided; this allowed Courtney to take very small lead just before the turning stake. Riley was able to take the lead back on the turn, but soon lost it to Courtney. Plaisted dropped out around the mark due to cramps. Courtney did not give up the lead and won by five boat lengths in a time of 20 minutes and 45.75 seconds. Courtney's time was off the record mark set by Riley by a quarter of a second. After the race, Riley was very disappointed, complaining about Plaisted's coming across his path at the beginning and almost hitting his boat at the turning stake.
Hanlan-Courtney rivalry
Courtney's first loss came on October 3, 1878, when he lost to Canadian champion Ned Hanlan in a very close single scull race near Lachine, Quebec with about 20,000 spectators for a $10,000 prize. Hanlan had won the professional single scull title at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia when Courtney had won the amateur title, and was considered one of the best professional rowers of the time.Smith, p. 150 For the first four miles (6 km) the lead changed hands several times, but as they entered the last mile, Hanlan slowly but surely went to the front and was leading by three lengths at the 4-mile mark. Near the finish, both Hanlan and Courtney had to deal with a group of boats that had wandered inside the racing lane. Both rowers paused for a moment, then Hanlan shot around them and over the finish line. Before the race there were rumors that Courtney had agreed to throw the race for a guaranteed percentage of the prize. The New York Times investigated and could not find any truth to the rumors, calling him the "most unjustly accused man in the country today." Courtney reported that he lost $1,350 of his own money betting on the race. Because of the effect of the rumors on his reputation and family, Courtney stated he didn't know if he would row again.