George S. Robertson

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Sir George Stuart Robertson (25 May 1872 – 29 January 1967) was a British barrister, public servant, athlete, tennis player, and classical scholar. He studied at Winchester College and New College, Oxford, where he won the Gaisford Prize for Greek Verse in 1894 and earned an Oxford Blue for hammer throwing. In 1896 he travelled to Athens for the first modern Olympic Games after seeing an ad in a London travel agent’s window, paying £11 for the trip. Hammer throwing was not part of the Games, so he entered the shot put and the discus. He finished fourth in the discus with a throw of 25.20 metres. In the singles tennis event, he lost in the first round to Konstantinos Paspatis, tying for eighth place overall. In doubles, he partnered with Edwin Flack; they had a bye to the semi-finals and finished third after losing in the semi-finals.

Robertson also performed a Greek ode at the post-Games ceremony, which earned him an olive and laurel wreath from the King of Greece. After sport, he had a successful legal and public service career. He was called to the Bar by Middle Temple in 1899. He served as Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies from 1912 to 1937 and as Industrial Assurance Commissioner from 1923 to 1937, and he was a director of Prudential Assurance. He was knighted in the 1928 Birthday Honours.