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{{short description|American golfer}}
{{good article}}
{{Short description|American amateur golfer (1878–1955)}}
{{For|the wife of Tony Abbott, former prime minister of Australia|Margie Abbott}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{For|the wife of Tony Abbott, former Prime Minister of Australia|Margie Abbott}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2022}}
 
{{Infobox golfer
{{Infobox golfer
| name            = Margaret Abbott
| name            = Margaret Abbott
| image            = Margaret-abbott-gold-medal-1900-golf.jpg
| image            = Margaret Abbott Charles Dana Gibson (cropped).jpg
| image_size      = 220px
| alt              = Pencil portrait of Abbott by Charles Dana Gibson
| caption          =  
| caption          = Abbott, {{circa|1903}}, by [[Charles Dana Gibson]]{{Sfnp|Fuller|2018|p=113}}
| fullname             = Margaret Ives Abbott
| fullname         = Margaret Ives Abbott
| nickname        = Marda
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1878|6|15}}
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1878|6|15}}
| birth_place      = [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[British Raj|India]]
| birth_place      = [[Calcutta]], [[British Raj|India]]
| death_date      = {{Death date and age|1955|6|10|1878|6|15}}
| death_date      = {{Death date and age|1955|6|10|1878|6|15}}
| death_place      = [[Greenwich, Connecticut]], U.S.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bierstedt |first=Rainald |title=Abschlag Rio: Jugend Trainiert Golf Für Olympia |year=2012 |publisher=BoD – Books on Demand |isbn=978-3848209705 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sNE4ut_XnQ4C&q=%22Margaret+Ives+Abbott%22&pg=PA69 |edition=3rd |page=69 |language=de}}</ref>
| death_place      = [[Greenwich, Connecticut]], U.S.
| nationality      = {{USA}}
| nationality      = {{USA}}
| spouse          = [[Finley Peter Dunne]] (m. 1902-1936, his death)
| height          = 5 ft 11 in{{Sfnp|Fox|2018}}
| children        = [[Philip Dunne (writer)|Philip Dunne]], Leonard Dunne, Peggy Dunne, Finley Peter Dunne Jr.
| status          = Amateur
| status = Amateur
| spouse          = {{Marriage|[[Finley Peter Dunne]]|December 1902|April 24, 1936|end=d}}
| children        = 4, including [[Philip Dunne (writer)|Philip]]
| medaltemplates  =  
| medaltemplates  =  
{{MedalSport | Women's [[Golf at the Summer Olympics|golf]] }}
{{MedalSport|Women's [[Golf at the Summer Olympics|golf]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games|Olympics]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris]] | [[Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Women's individual|Individual]] }}
{{MedalGold |[[1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris]]|[[Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Women's individual|Individual]]}}
| show-medals      = yes
| show-medals      = yes
}}
}}


'''Margaret Ives Abbott''' (June 15, 1878 – June 10, 1955)<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Welch|first=Paula|title=Search for Margaret Abbott|url=http://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1982/ore182/ORE182s.pdf|journal=Olympic Review|volume=182|pages=752–54|access-date=March 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912053406/http://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1982/ore182/ORE182s.pdf|archive-date=September 12, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> was an American golfer. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic event: the [[Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics|women's golf tournament]] at the [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris Games]].
'''Margaret Ives Abbott''' (June 15, 1878&nbsp;– June 10, 1955) was an American [[Amateur sports|amateur]] golfer. She was the first American woman to win an [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] event: the [[Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Women's individual|women's golf tournament]] at the [[1900 Summer Olympics]].


== Early life ==
Born in [[Calcutta]] (now Kolkata), India, in 1878, Abbott moved with her family to [[Chicago]] in 1884. She joined the [[Chicago Golf Club]] in [[Wheaton, Illinois]], where she was coached by [[Charles B. Macdonald]] and [[H.&nbsp;J. Whigham]]. In 1899, she traveled with her mother to [[Paris]] for studying art. In October 1900, she, along with her mother, signed up for the women's golf tournament without realizing that it was the second modern Olympics. Abbott won the tournament with a score of 47 strokes; her mother tied for seventh place. Abbott received a porcelain bowl as a reward.
Born in Calcutta India, Margaret Abbot was the daughter of Charles and [[Mary Abbott (golfer)|Mary Abbott]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/obituaries/overlooked-margaret-abbott.html|title=Margaret Abbott, an Unwitting Olympic Trailblazer|last=Fox|first=Margalit|date=March 8, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=March 8, 2018}}</ref> Charles died when Margaret was very young and after his death, Mary moved the family to Boston.<ref name=":0" /> 


When Abbott was a teenager, her mother became the literary editor of ''The Chicago Herald'' and the family then moved to Illinois.<ref name=":0" /> After moving to Illinois, she and her mother were members of the Chicago Golf Club where she learned how to golf.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title=Maragret Abbot: A Study Break|url=https://school.eb.com/levels/high/additionalcontent/10397271|url-status=live}}</ref> She began winning championships at local tournaments and was consistently featured in the Chicago Tribune newspaper.<ref name=":0"/>
In December 1902, she married the writer [[Finley Peter Dunne]]. They later moved to New York and had four children. Abbott died at the age of 76 in 1955, never realizing that she won an Olympic event. She was not well known until [[Paula Welch]], a professor at the [[University of Florida]], researched her life. In 2018, ''[[The New York Times]]'' published her belated obituary.


== Paris Olympics ==
== Life and career ==
Mary and Margaret Abbott lived in Paris from 1899 to 1902.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YJ-wDQAAQBAJ&q=pparently+misunderstood+the+nature+of+the+game+scheduled+for+the+day+and+turned+up+to+play+in+high+heels+and+tight+skirts&pg=PA31|title=Female Olympians: A Mediated Socio-Cultural and Political-Economic Timeline|last=Fuller|first=Linda K.|date=December 7, 2016|publisher=Springer|isbn=9781137582812|language=en}}</ref> While in Paris, Mary researched a travel guide and Margaret studied art with Rodin and Degas.<ref name=":0" />
=== Early life ===
Margaret Ives Abbott was born on June 15, 1878, in [[Calcutta]] (now Kolkata), India, to Charles and [[Mary Abbott (golfer)|Mary Ives Abbott]]. Her father was a wealthy American merchant who died in 1879. Margaret, along with her mother and her siblings, moved to [[Boston]]. During her teenage years, her mother became literary editor of the ''[[Chicago Herald (1881–95)|Chicago Herald]]'' and the family moved to [[Chicago]] in 1884.{{Sfnmp|Fox|2018|Taylor|2021|Rumore|2021|4a1=Mallon|4a2=Jerris|4y=2011|4p=25}}


At the 1900 Paris Olympics, 22 women competed out of a total of 997 athletes.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-first-american-woman-to-win-an-olympic-championship-didnt-even-know-it|title=The First American Woman to Win an Olympic Championship Didn't Even Know It|last=Holmes|first=Tao Tao|date=August 10, 2016|publisher=Atlas Obscura|access-date=August 21, 2016}}</ref> It was the first time women were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games and they could only compete in five sports: golf, tennis, sailing, equestrianism, and croquet.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/March/21/Margaret-Abbott-Aced-Team-USAs-First-Womens-Olympic-Gold-Medal-And-Didnt-Know-It|title=Margaret Abbott Aced Team USA's First Women's Olympic Gold Medal And Didn't Know It|work=Team USA|access-date=March 16, 2018|language=en}}</ref> The 1900 Olympics stretched over six months and was a sideshow of the Paris Exhibition which is also known as the World Fair.<ref name=":2" /> Since the competition was so stretched out, it was sometimes hard to track who competed in the competition and who did not.<ref name=":5" /> The Olympic events were referred to as the Championnats Internationaux, or International Championship, instead of the Olympic Games.<ref>https://www.golfhistorie.no/assets/files/2010-2020/golf-and-the-olympic-games-bill-malone.pdf</ref> There was also a lack of media attention as unlike today, the Olympics did not have either an opening ceremony or closing ceremony.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Margaret Abbott became U.S.’ first female Olympic champion without knowing it|url=https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/03/08/margaret-abbott-golf-olympics/|url-status=live}}</ref> The women's golf tournament was held on October 4, 1900 at a nine-hole course at Compiègne, north of Paris.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=https://www.olympic.org/margaret-abbott|title=Margaret Abbott – Olympic Golf {{!}} United States of America|date=February 16, 2017|work=International Olympic Committee|access-date=March 16, 2018|language=en}}</ref> Durning this time, women were perceived to be harmed from playing sports because of how physical it is, so they were limited to a nine-hole course compared to the 18-standard hole course people play with today.<ref name=":6" /> ''Golf Illustrated'' referred to the medal event as "The international golf competition recently held... in connection with the Paris Exhibition."<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OoQXAQAAMAAJ&q=Margaret+Abbott+golf&pg=PA29|title=Golf Illustrated|date=1900|language=en}}</ref> The games were organized like any other small golf tournaments and barely publicized so Abbotts did not realize that the events she entered was part of the Olympics.
In the late nineteenth century, women were restricted from competing in various sports. Golf clubs allowed women to join only if they were accompanied by a man. Abbott, along with her mother, began playing golf at the [[Chicago Golf Club]] in [[Wheaton, Illinois|Wheaton]]. She was coached by [[Amateur sports|amateur]] golfers [[Charles B. Macdonald]] and [[H. J. Whigham]]. Abbott and Macdonald partnered in a 1897 tournament at the [[Washington Park (community area), Chicago|Washington Park]]. She won several local tournaments, and by 1899, she had a two [[Handicap (golf)|handicap]]. She was referred to as a "fierce competitor", and was known to have a "classy backswing". That same year, she and her mother traveled to [[Paris]]. Mary researched and wrote a travel guide ''A Woman's Paris: A Handbook of Every-day Living in the French Capital'' (1900);{{Sfnmp|Fox|2018|Rumore|2021|Abbott|1900|Welch|1982|p=753}} Margaret studied art from [[Auguste Rodin]] and [[Edgar Degas]].{{Sfnmp|Fox|2018|Taylor|2021}}


Historical research did not establish that the game was on the Olympic program until after Abbott's death in 1955, so she never found out that she was the first American women to win the Olympics.<ref name=":0" /> Additionally, Abbott's victory was not well known until a [[University of Florida]] professor and member of the Olympic Board of Directors, Paula Welch, researched the golfer and began to put together pieces of Abbott's life. She spent a decade examined newspaper articles that mentioned Abbott's successes in various golfing competitions in an attempt to gain more information. In the end, she also located Abbott's children and informed them of their mother's victory.<ref> https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-first-american-woman-to-win-an-olympic-championship-didnt-even-know-it </ref>
=== Paris Olympics ===
{{Further|Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Women's individual}}
[[File:Margaret-abbott-gold-medal-1900-golf.jpg|thumb|Abbott at the golf event of the 1900 Olympics|left|alt=Refer to the caption]]
The [[1900 Summer Olympics]], hosted in Paris between May and October, was the second modern Olympics. [[Pierre de Coubertin]], the founder of the Olympics, initially planned the games for only men. In 1900, however, women were allowed to compete in five sports: golf, tennis, sailing, rowing, and [[equestrianism]].{{Sfnp|Taylor|2021}} Out of a total of 997 athletes, 22 were women.{{Sfnmp|Holmes|2016|Lieberman|2016}} The Olympics coincided with the [[1900 Paris Exposition]]; many considered it overshadowed by the Paris Exposition.{{Sfnmp|Fox|2018|Holmes|2016|3a1=Costa|3a2=Guthrie|3y=1994|3p=124}} The events lacked proper equipment,{{Sfnp|Holmes|2016}} did not have an opening or closing ceremony, and included sports like [[tug of war]], [[Kite flying at the 1900 Summer Olympics|kite flying]], [[hot air ballooning]], and [[pigeon racing]].{{Sfnp|Fox|2018}}


Part of the reason Abbott was not widely known was due to the lack of media attention the Olympics got in the 1900s and the fact that it was not a widely recognized competition.<ref name=":5" /> This was due to the fact she was residing in France and studying art while her mother was working there as a writer. Abbott competed because she played golf and happened to be in France.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> In the 1890s, Abbott initially learned to play the sport as a member of the Chicago Golf Club where her mother, also a member, played the sport.<ref name=":2"/>
Two golf events were scheduled—one for men and one for women.{{Sfnp|Mallon|1998|p=129}} Titled "Prix de la ville de Compiègne", the women's event took place on October 4 in [[Compiègne]], about {{Convert|30|mi|km|sp=us}} north of Paris.{{Sfnmp|Fox|2018|Taylor|2021|Olympics}} It was held over 9 holes ranging in distance from {{Convert|68|yd|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} to {{Convert|230|yd|m|abbr=off|sp=us}};{{Sfnmp|Taylor|2021|Olympics}} the men's tournament was a 36-hole event.{{Sfnp|NBC Sports|2021}} ''Golf Illustrated'' referred to the event as the competition "in connection with the Paris Exhibition."{{Sfnp|University of Minnesota|1900|p=28}} The event was called the "Exposition Competition" or "Paris World's Fair Competition";{{Sfnp|Fox|2018}} it was not labeled as an Olympic event.{{Sfnp|NBC Sports|2021}} Olympics historian [[Bill Mallon]] later said: "A lot of the events in 1900 were considered demonstration sports. It's very hard to tell what was an Olympics sport and what was not." Many athletes did not know that they were participating in the Olympics.{{Sfnp|Fox|2018}}


She won the Olympics with a 9-hole score of 47.<ref name=":4" /> Abbott was awarded a porcelain bowl for first place in golf.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Anderson|first=Kristine F.|date=July 11, 1996|title=While Reaching for the Gold, Women Shattered Stereotypes|journal=Christian Science Monitor|volume=88|issue=158|page=10}}</ref> Gold medals were only given out starting from 1904 in the Olympic game of St Louis; these gold medals made the Olympics more competitive and a sense of achievement for winners.
Abbott learned about the tournament from a newspaper notice. Taking a break from her studies, she decided to sign up for the event.{{Sfnp|''Encyclopædia Britannica''|2006}} She won{{Sfnp|Emery|1984|p=62}} with a score of 47 strokes.{{Sfnmp|Donnelley|2010|p=1903|Olympics}} [[Pauline Whittier]] was the runner-up, with a score of 49 strokes.{{Sfnp|Mallon|1998|p=131}} Mary Abbott also participated in the event and tied for seventh place with a score of 65.{{Sfnmp|Fox|2018|Lieberman|2016}} All the ten competitors played in long skirts and hats.{{Sfnp|Fox|2018}} According to Abbott, she won "because all the French girls apparently misunderstood the nature of the game scheduled that day and turned up to play in high heels and tight skirts".{{Sfnmp|''Los Angeles Times''|1989|2a1=Warner|2y=2006|2p=87|3a1=Donnelley|3y=2010|3p=1903}} She was awarded a porcelain bowl embellished with gold.{{Sfnp|Taylor|2021}} Although few other Olympics tournament had silver and bronze medals, no gold medals were awarded for the golf event. Her victory was reported in the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.{{Sfnp|Rumore|2021}}


All the competitors played in long skirts and fashionable hats,<ref name=":0" /> and according to Abbott, she "apparently misunderstood the nature of the game scheduled for the day and turned up to play in high heels and tight skirts."<ref name=":1" />
=== Later life ===
[[File:Margaret Abbott in 1902.jpg|thumb|Abbott in the ''Chicago Tribune'', November 28, 1902]]
Abbott stayed in Paris and won a French championship before returning to America in 1901.{{Sfnmp|1a1=Rumore|1y=2021|2a1=Fox|2y=2018}} She married the writer [[Finley Peter Dunne]] on December 9, 1902. According to the ''Chicago Tribune'', although the wedding ceremony "was celebrated as quietly and with as little display as possible", they received telegrams from "dozens of&nbsp;... literary lights", including Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle]].{{Sfnp|Rumore|2021}} The couple later settled in [[New York City]].{{Sfnmp|1a1=Fox|1y=2018|2a1=Rumore|2y=2021}} They had four children, including [[Philip Dunne (writer)|Philip Dunne]].{{Sfnp|Ellis|1969|p=260}} Abbott did not compete in many tournaments due to a knee injury caused by a childhood accident.{{Sfnp|Welch|1982|p=754}} Records of Abbott's ties to the Chicago Golf Club were destroyed in the 1912 clubhouse fire.{{Sfnp|Welch|1982|p=754}} Abbott died at the age of 76 on June 10, 1955,{{Sfnp|Fox|2018}} in [[Greenwich, Connecticut]].{{Sfnp|Taylor|2021}}


Mary Abbott also entered the competition. She shot a 9-hole score of 65 and finished tied for seventh.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="lester">{{cite web|url=http://www.womengolfersmuseum.com/Famousgolfers/AbbottMargaret.htm|title=Recognizing First U.S. Women's Champion is a Step in the Right Direction|last=Lester|first=John|date=July 9, 1996}}</ref> This was the only time in Olympic history that a mother and daughter competed in the same sport in the same event at the same Olympics.<ref name=":2" /> It is much harder for this ordeal to happen in today's Olympic games as the threshold to compete is much higher.
== Legacy ==
Abbott never realized that she participated and became the first American woman to win an Olympic event.{{Sfnmp|Fox|2018|2a1=Conner|2y=2014|2p=126}} She was not well known until [[Paula Welch]], a professor at the [[University of Florida]] and a member of the Olympics Board of Directors, researched her life during the 1970s when she first saw Abbott mentioned as an Olympic champion in 1973. Welch spent a decade examining newspaper articles that mentioned Abbott's successes in various golfing competitions in an attempt to gain information.{{Sfnmp|Holmes|2016|2a1=Welch|2y=1982|2p=752}} In the mid-1980s, she contacted Philip, Abbot's son, informing him about his mother's Olympic victory.{{Sfnmp|1a1=Fox|1y=2018|2a1=Holmes|2y=2016}} Analyzing the reasons for her obscurity, Welch said: "We didn't have the coverage that we have today&nbsp;... She came back. She got married. She raised her family. She played some golf, but she didn't really pursue it in tournaments."{{Sfnp|Fox|2018}}


Women's golf would not be seen again at the Olympics until the 2016 Games in Rio.<ref name=":0" />
Writing for ''[[Golf Digest]]'' in 1984, Philip wrote: "It's not every day that you learn your mother was an Olympic champion, 80-odd years after the fact. The champion herself had told us only that she had won the golf championship of Paris."{{Sfnmp|Olympics|2021|USOPM}} In 1996, Abbott was the featured athlete of the 1900 Olympics in the official [[1996 Summer Olympics|Olympics program of the Atlanta games]].{{Sfnp|Lester|1996}} After 1904, golf was not included in Olympics games until the [[2016 Summer Olympics]].{{Sfnp|Lieberman|2016}} In 2018, ''[[The New York Times]]'' published her belated obituary.{{Sfnp|Fox|2018}}


== Later life and legacy ==
== See also ==
Margaret Abbott married the writer [[Finley Peter Dunne]] on December 10, 1902. They had four children together: Finley Peter Dunne Jr., Peggy Dunne, Leonard Dunne, and [[Philip Dunne (writer)|Phillip Dunne]], who later became a noted screenwriter. Abbott continued to play golf as she helped raise her children.<ref name=":0" /> Abbott died at age 76 on June 10, 1955 in Greenwich, Connecticut.<ref name=":0" />
* {{Portal inline|Biography}}
* {{Portal inline|Sports}}


In 1996, Abbot was the featured athlete of the 1900 Olympic Games in the official Olympic program of the Atlanta games.<ref name="lester" />
== References ==
 
{{Reflist}}
In 2018, ''[[The New York Times]]'' published a belated obituary for her.<ref name=":0"/>


==Footnotes==
== Works cited ==
{{Reflist}}
=== Online sources ===
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite news |last=Fox |first=Margalit |date=March 8, 2018 |title=Margaret Abbott: The first American woman to win an Olympic championship. |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/obituaries/overlooked-margaret-abbott.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=May 11, 2022}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Holmes |first=Tao Tao |date=August 10, 2016 |title=The First American Woman to Win an Olympic Championship Didn't Even Know It |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-first-american-woman-to-win-an-olympic-championship-didnt-even-know-it |magazine=[[Atlas Obscura]] |oclc=960889351 |access-date=May 11, 2022}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.womengolfersmuseum.com/Famousgolfers/AbbottMargaret.htm |title=Recognizing First U.S. Women's Champion is a Step in the Right Direction |last=Lester |first=John |date=July 9, 1996 |access-date=May 12, 2022 |publisher=[[Women Golfers' Museum]]}}
* {{Cite web |last=Lieberman |first=Stuart |date=March 21, 2016 |title=Margaret Abbott Aced Team USA's First Women's Olympic Gold Medal and Didn't Know It |url=https://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/March/21/Margaret-Abbott-Aced-Team-USAs-First-Womens-Olympic-Gold-Medal-And-Didnt-Know-It |access-date=May 11, 2022 |publisher=[[United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee]]}}
* {{Cite news |date=August 10, 1989 |title=He Was the Game's First Mac O'Grady |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-10-sp-56-story.html |url-access=registration |access-date=May 11, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''Los Angeles Times''|1989}}}}
* {{Cite news |date=March 8, 2021 |title=Margaret Abbott Became U.S.' First Female Olympic Champion Without Knowing It |publisher=[[NBC Sports]] |url=https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/03/08/margaret-abbott-golf-olympics/ |access-date=May 11, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|NBC Sports|2021}}}}
* {{Cite web |title=Margaret Ives Abbott |url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/margaret-ives-abbott#b2p-athlete-olympic-results |access-date=May 11, 2022 |publisher=[[Olympic Games]] |ref={{sfnRef|Olympics}}}}
* {{Cite web |date=October 5, 2021 |title=Margaret Abbott, the Olympic golf champion who died without knowing it |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/margaret-abbott-the-olympic-golf-champion-who-died-without-knowing-it |publisher=[[Olympics Games]] |access-date=May 12, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|Olympics|2021}}}}
* {{Cite news |last=Rumore |first=Kori |date=August 4, 2021 |title=Chicago Golfer Margaret Abbott was the 1st American Woman to Win a Gold Medal at the Olympics — But She Never Knew it. Here's Why. |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/olympics/ct-olympics-margaret-abbott-gold-medal-20210803-wyk535vvtbewdespssz7tep55q-story.html |access-date=May 11, 2022}}
* {{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Katie |date=2021 |title=Margaret Ives Abbott |url=https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/margaret-ives-abbott |access-date=May 11, 2022 |publisher=[[National Women's History Museum]]}}
* {{Cite web |title=An unknowing historymaker: Margaret Abbott was the first American female to be an Olympic champion |date=March 7, 2020 |url=https://usopm.org/an-unknowing-historymaker-margaret-abbott-was-the-first-american-female-to-be-an-olympic-champion/ |access-date=May 12, 2022 |publisher=[[United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum]] |ref={{sfnRef|USOPM}}}}
{{Refend}}


==External links==
=== Print sources ===
* {{databaseOlympics | ABBOTMAR01 }}
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ab/margaret-abbott-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418111011/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ab/margaret-abbott-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-18 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Abbott |first=Mary |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_Woman_s_Paris/tXMDAAAAYAAJ?hl=en |title=A Woman's Paris: A Handbook of Every-day Living in the French Capital |publisher=[[Small, Maynard & Company]] |year=1900 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Conner |first=Floyd |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/The_Olympic_s_Most_Wanted/zQ48Zp5MVCsC?hl=en |title=The Olympic's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of the Olympics' Gold Medal Gaffes, Improbable Triumphs, and Other Oddities |publisher=[[Potomac Books]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-59797-397-7 |access-date=May 12, 2022 |via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Costa |first1=D. Margaret |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Women_and_Sport/EyZsohz8DmsC?hl=en |title=Women and Sport: Interdisciplinary Perspectives |last2=Guthrie |first2=Sharon Ruth |publisher=Human Kinetics |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-87322-686-8 |access-date=May 12, 2022 |via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Donnelley |first=Paul |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Firsts_Lasts_Onlys_of_Golf/joQSpR8akcwC?hl=en& |title=Firsts, Lasts & Onlys of Golf: Presenting the Most Amazing Golf Facts from the Last 500 Years |publisher=[[Octopus Publishing Group]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-600-62255-0 |access-date=May 12, 2022 |via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{cite book |last=Ellis |first=Elmer |title=Mr. Dooley's America: A Life of Finley Peter Dunne |publisher=Archon Books |year=1969 |orig-year=1941 |isbn=978-0-208-00734-6 |url-access=registration |access-date=May 12, 2022 |url=https://archive.org/details/mrdooleysamerica0000elli |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Emery |first=Lynne |date=1984 |title=Women's Participation in the Olympic Games: A Historical Perspective |journal=[[Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance]] |volume=55 |issue=5 |pages=62–72 |doi=10.1080/07303084.1984.10629768}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |title=Margaret Abbott: A Study Break |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Study-Break-1367944 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |date=January 19, 2006 |ref={{sfnRef|''Encyclopædia Britannica''|2006}}}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fuller |first=Linda K. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Female_Olympian_and_Paralympian_Events/L1dxDwAAQBAJ?hl=en |title=Female Olympian and Paralympian Events: Analyses, Backgrounds, and Timelines |publisher=[[Springer Publishing]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-3-319-76792-5 |access-date=May 12, 2022 |via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mallon |first=Bill |url=https://archive.org/details/1900olympicgames00mall |title=The 1900 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-7864-8952-7 |url-access=registration |access-date=June 11, 2022 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Mallon |first1=Bill |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Historical_Dictionary_of_Golf/5d71iha1Q-YC?hl=en |title=Historical Dictionary of Golf |last2=Jerris |first2=Randon |publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-8108-7465-7 |access-date=May 12, 2022 |via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{Cite book |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Golf_Illustrated/OoQXAQAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=Golf Illustrated |publisher=[[University of Minnesota]] |year=1900 |volume=6 |ref={{sfnRef|University of Minnesota|1900}} |access-date=May 11, 2022 |via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Warner |first=Patricia Campbell |title=When the Girls Came Out to Play: The Birth of American Sportswear |publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Press]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-55849-548-7 |chapter=Part One: The Influence of Fashion. Chapter 5, Women Enter the Olympics: A Sleeker Swimsuit |chapter-url=https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=umpress_wtg}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Welch |first=Paula |year=1982|title=Search for Margaret Abbott |url=http://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1982/ore182/ORE182s.pdf |journal=Olympic Review |volume=182 |pages=752–54 |access-date=March 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912053406/http://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1982/ore182/ORE182s.pdf |archive-date=September 12, 2016 |url-status=dead}}
{{Refend}}


== External links ==
* {{Commons inline|Category:Margaret Abbott|Margaret Abbott}}
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{{Footer Olympic Champions Golf Women Individual}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Golf Women Individual}}


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[[Category:Amateur golfers]]
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[[Category:Golfers at the 1900 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic golfers of the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in golf]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in golf]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics]]

Latest revision as of 20:27, 27 June 2022

For the wife of Tony Abbott, former prime minister of Australia, see Margie Abbott.

Margaret Abbott
Pencil portrait of Abbott by Charles Dana Gibson
Abbott, c. 1903, by Charles Dana Gibson[1]
Personal information
Full nameMargaret Ives Abbott
Born(1878-06-15)June 15, 1878
Calcutta, India
DiedJune 10, 1955(1955-06-10) (aged 76)
Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[2]
Nationality United States
Spouse
​
(
m. 1902; died 1936)
Children4, including Philip
Career
StatusAmateur
Highest rankingTemplate:Infobox golfer/highest ranking
Medal record
Women's golf
Olympics
Gold medal – first place 1900 Paris Individual

Margaret Ives Abbott (June 15, 1878 – June 10, 1955) was an American amateur golfer. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic event: the women's golf tournament at the 1900 Summer Olympics.

Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, in 1878, Abbott moved with her family to Chicago in 1884. She joined the Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, where she was coached by Charles B. Macdonald and H. J. Whigham. In 1899, she traveled with her mother to Paris for studying art. In October 1900, she, along with her mother, signed up for the women's golf tournament without realizing that it was the second modern Olympics. Abbott won the tournament with a score of 47 strokes; her mother tied for seventh place. Abbott received a porcelain bowl as a reward.

In December 1902, she married the writer Finley Peter Dunne. They later moved to New York and had four children. Abbott died at the age of 76 in 1955, never realizing that she won an Olympic event. She was not well known until Paula Welch, a professor at the University of Florida, researched her life. In 2018, The New York Times published her belated obituary.

Life and career[edit]

Early life[edit]

Margaret Ives Abbott was born on June 15, 1878, in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, to Charles and Mary Ives Abbott. Her father was a wealthy American merchant who died in 1879. Margaret, along with her mother and her siblings, moved to Boston. During her teenage years, her mother became literary editor of the Chicago Herald and the family moved to Chicago in 1884.[3]

In the late nineteenth century, women were restricted from competing in various sports. Golf clubs allowed women to join only if they were accompanied by a man. Abbott, along with her mother, began playing golf at the Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton. She was coached by amateur golfers Charles B. Macdonald and H. J. Whigham. Abbott and Macdonald partnered in a 1897 tournament at the Washington Park. She won several local tournaments, and by 1899, she had a two handicap. She was referred to as a "fierce competitor", and was known to have a "classy backswing". That same year, she and her mother traveled to Paris. Mary researched and wrote a travel guide A Woman's Paris: A Handbook of Every-day Living in the French Capital (1900);[4] Margaret studied art from Auguste Rodin and Edgar Degas.[5]

Paris Olympics[edit]

Further information: Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Women's individual
Refer to the caption
Abbott at the golf event of the 1900 Olympics

The 1900 Summer Olympics, hosted in Paris between May and October, was the second modern Olympics. Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Olympics, initially planned the games for only men. In 1900, however, women were allowed to compete in five sports: golf, tennis, sailing, rowing, and equestrianism.[6] Out of a total of 997 athletes, 22 were women.[7] The Olympics coincided with the 1900 Paris Exposition; many considered it overshadowed by the Paris Exposition.[8] The events lacked proper equipment,[9] did not have an opening or closing ceremony, and included sports like tug of war, kite flying, hot air ballooning, and pigeon racing.[2]

Two golf events were scheduled—one for men and one for women.[10] Titled "Prix de la ville de Compiègne", the women's event took place on October 4 in Compiègne, about 30 miles (48 km) north of Paris.[11] It was held over 9 holes ranging in distance from 68 yards (62 meters) to 230 yards (210 meters);[12] the men's tournament was a 36-hole event.[13] Golf Illustrated referred to the event as the competition "in connection with the Paris Exhibition."[14] The event was called the "Exposition Competition" or "Paris World's Fair Competition";[2] it was not labeled as an Olympic event.[13] Olympics historian Bill Mallon later said: "A lot of the events in 1900 were considered demonstration sports. It's very hard to tell what was an Olympics sport and what was not." Many athletes did not know that they were participating in the Olympics.[2]

Abbott learned about the tournament from a newspaper notice. Taking a break from her studies, she decided to sign up for the event.[15] She won[16] with a score of 47 strokes.[17] Pauline Whittier was the runner-up, with a score of 49 strokes.[18] Mary Abbott also participated in the event and tied for seventh place with a score of 65.[19] All the ten competitors played in long skirts and hats.[2] According to Abbott, she won "because all the French girls apparently misunderstood the nature of the game scheduled that day and turned up to play in high heels and tight skirts".[20] She was awarded a porcelain bowl embellished with gold.[6] Although few other Olympics tournament had silver and bronze medals, no gold medals were awarded for the golf event. Her victory was reported in the Chicago Tribune.[21]

Later life[edit]

Abbott in the Chicago Tribune, November 28, 1902

Abbott stayed in Paris and won a French championship before returning to America in 1901.[22] She married the writer Finley Peter Dunne on December 9, 1902. According to the Chicago Tribune, although the wedding ceremony "was celebrated as quietly and with as little display as possible", they received telegrams from "dozens of ... literary lights", including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.[21] The couple later settled in New York City.[23] They had four children, including Philip Dunne.[24] Abbott did not compete in many tournaments due to a knee injury caused by a childhood accident.[25] Records of Abbott's ties to the Chicago Golf Club were destroyed in the 1912 clubhouse fire.[25] Abbott died at the age of 76 on June 10, 1955,[2] in Greenwich, Connecticut.[6]

Legacy[edit]

Abbott never realized that she participated and became the first American woman to win an Olympic event.[26] She was not well known until Paula Welch, a professor at the University of Florida and a member of the Olympics Board of Directors, researched her life during the 1970s when she first saw Abbott mentioned as an Olympic champion in 1973. Welch spent a decade examining newspaper articles that mentioned Abbott's successes in various golfing competitions in an attempt to gain information.[27] In the mid-1980s, she contacted Philip, Abbot's son, informing him about his mother's Olympic victory.[28] Analyzing the reasons for her obscurity, Welch said: "We didn't have the coverage that we have today ... She came back. She got married. She raised her family. She played some golf, but she didn't really pursue it in tournaments."[2]

Writing for Golf Digest in 1984, Philip wrote: "It's not every day that you learn your mother was an Olympic champion, 80-odd years after the fact. The champion herself had told us only that she had won the golf championship of Paris."[29] In 1996, Abbott was the featured athlete of the 1900 Olympics in the official Olympics program of the Atlanta games.[30] After 1904, golf was not included in Olympics games until the 2016 Summer Olympics.[31] In 2018, The New York Times published her belated obituary.[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Fuller (2018), p. 113.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Fox (2018).
  3. ↑ Fox (2018); Taylor (2021); Rumore (2021); Mallon & Jerris (2011), p. 25.
  4. ↑ Fox (2018); Rumore (2021); Abbott (1900); Welch (1982).
  5. ↑ Fox (2018); Taylor (2021).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Taylor (2021).
  7. ↑ Holmes (2016); Lieberman (2016).
  8. ↑ Fox (2018); Holmes (2016); Costa & Guthrie (1994), p. 124.
  9. ↑ Holmes (2016).
  10. ↑ Mallon (1998), p. 129.
  11. ↑ Fox (2018); Taylor (2021); Olympics.
  12. ↑ Taylor (2021); Olympics.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 NBC Sports (2021).
  14. ↑ University of Minnesota (1900), p. 28.
  15. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica (2006).
  16. ↑ Emery (1984), p. 62.
  17. ↑ Donnelley (2010); Olympics.
  18. ↑ Mallon (1998), p. 131.
  19. ↑ Fox (2018); Lieberman (2016).
  20. ↑ Los Angeles Times (1989); Warner (2006), p. 87; Donnelley (2010), p. 1903.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Rumore (2021).
  22. ↑ Rumore (2021); Fox (2018).
  23. ↑ Fox (2018); Rumore (2021).
  24. ↑ Ellis (1969), p. 260.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Welch (1982), p. 754.
  26. ↑ Fox (2018); Conner (2014), p. 126.
  27. ↑ Holmes (2016); Welch (1982), p. 752.
  28. ↑ Fox (2018); Holmes (2016).
  29. ↑ Olympics (2021); USOPM.
  30. ↑ Lester (1996).
  31. ↑ Lieberman (2016).

Works cited[edit]

Online sources[edit]

Print sources[edit]

External links[edit]

Template:Footer Olympic Champions Golf Women Individual

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