About William Stevenson (athlete)
William Edwards Stevenson (October 25, 1900 – April 2, 1985) was an American track and field athlete, lawyer and diplomat, who won the gold medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 1924 Summer Olympics, and later served as the president of Oberlin College. == Biography == === Early life and education === Born in Chicago, Illinois, was a graduate of Andover and Princeton University before winning a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, where he studied law. === Legal career === After returning to the United States, he was an assistant U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York in the 1920s and, in 1931, founded the prominent New York law partnership of Debevoise, Stevenson, Plimpton and Page, now Debevoise & Plimpton L.L.P. === Athletics and 1924 Summer Olympics === William Stevenson won the AAU championships in 440 yd (400 m) in 1921. Stevenson won the British AAA Championships title in the 440 yards event at the 1923 AAA Championships. The following year in Paris at the 1924 Olympic Games, Stevenson ran the second leg on the American 4 × 400 meters relay team, which won the gold medal with a new world record of 3.16.0. His teammates were Commodore Cochran, Oliver MacDonald and Alan Helffrich. === World War II === During the World War II, Stevenson and his wife, Eleanor "Bumpie" Bumstead Stevenson, a 1923 graduate of Smith College, organized and administered American Red Cross operations in Great Britain, North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Both he and his wife were awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in support of military operations. (Eleanor Stevenson was the author of I Knew Your Soldier in 1946. She was active in the civil rights movement and the first person to give a nationally broadcast speech on behalf of Planned Parenthood.) === President of Oberlin College === In 1946, Stevenson succeeded Ernest Hatch Wilkins as president of Oberlin College.
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