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William Edwards Stevenson (October 25, 1900 - April 2, 1985) was an American athlete, lawyer and diplomat, who won the gold medal in 4x400 m relay at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, William Stevenson won the AAU championships in 440 yd in 1921.
At the Paris Olympics, Stevenson ran the last leg in the American 4x400 m relay team, which won the gold medal with a new world record of 3.16.0.
Stevenson won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, where he studied law. After his returning to United States, he founded the prominent New York law partnership of Debevoise, Stevenson, Plimpton and Page. During the World War II, Stevenson and his wife organized and administered the American Red Cross operations in Great Britain, North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Both he and his wife were awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in support of military operations.
In 1946, Stevenson succeeded Ernest Hatch Wilkins as a president of Oberlin College. He held this post until John F. Kennedy appointed him as an ambassador to Philippines in 1962, where he served until 1965.
He was the father of U.S. Representative Helen Stevenson Meyner, cousin of the Vice-President Adlai E. Stevenson, presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson, Senator Adlai Stevenson III], and actor McLean Stevenson, and the father-in-law of New Jersey Governor Robert B. Meyner.
Stevenson died in Fort Myers, Florida, aged 84.
- 1912 United States: Mel Sheppard, Edward Lindberg, Ted Meredith, Charles Reidpath • 1920 Great Britain: Cecil Griffiths, Robert Lindsay, John Ainsworth-Davies, Guy Butler • 1924 United States: Commodore Cochran, Alan Helffrich, Oliver MacDonald, William Stevenson • 1928 United States: George Baird, Emerson Spencer, Frederick Alderman, Ray Barbuti • 1932 United States: Ivan Fuqua, Edgar Ablowich, Karl Warner, Bill Carr • 1936 Great Britain: Frederick Wolff, Godfrey Rampling, William Roberts, Godfrey Brown • 1948 United States: Arthur Harnden, Clifford Bourland, Roy Cochran, Mal Whitfield • 1952 Jamaica: Arthur Wint, Leslie Laing, Herb McKenley, George Rhoden • 1956 United States: Charlie Jenkins, Louis Jones, Jesse Mashburn, Tom Courtney • 1960 United States: Jack Yerman, Earl Young, Glenn Davis, Otis Davis • 1964 United States: Ollan Cassell, Michael Larrabee, Ulis Williams, Henry Carr • 1968 United States: Vincent Matthews, Ron Freeman, Larry James, Lee Evans • 1972 Kenya: Charles Asati, Hezahiah Nyamau, Robert Ouko, Julius Sang • 1976 United States: Herman Frazier, Benjamin Brown, Fred Newhouse, Maxie Parks • 1980 Soviet Union: Remigijus Valiulis, Mikhail Linge, Nikolay Chernetsky, Viktor Markin • 1984 United States: Sunder Nix, Ray Armstead, Alonzo Babers, Antonio McKay • 1988 United States: Danny Everett, Steve Lewis, Kevin Robinzine, Butch Reynolds • 1992 United States: Andrew Valmon, Quincy Watts, Michael Johnson, Steve Lewis • 1996 United States: LaMont Smith, Alvin Harrison, Derek Mills, Anthuan Maybank • 2000 Nigeria: Clement Chukwu, Jude Monye, Sunday Bada, Enefiok Udo-Obong • 2004 United States: Otis Harris, Derrick Brew, Jeremy Wariner, Darold Williamson
