David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter

The Marquess of Exeter

Lord Burghley (left) shakes hands with the Italian Luigi Facelli
Personal information
Full name	David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter
Nationality	British
Born	(1905-02-09)February 9, 1905 Stamford, Great Britain
Died	22 October 1981(1981-10-22) (aged 76) Stamford, Great Britain
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	70 kg (150 lb)
Sport
Country	United Kingdom
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Hurdles
Club	University of Cambridge
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	400 m hs: 52.01 (1932) 400 m: 49.7 (1929)
Medal record Olympic Games Gold 1928 Amsterdam 400 m hurdles Silver 1932 Los Angeles 4×400 m relay Competitor for England British Empire Games Gold 1930 Hamilton 120 yd hurdles Gold 1930 Hamilton 440 yd hurdles Gold 1930 Hamilton 4×440 yd relay

David George Brownlow Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter KCMG (9 February 1905 – 22 October 1981), styled Lord Burghley before 1956 and also known as David Burghley, was an English athlete, sports official and Conservative Party politician. He won the gold medal in the 400 m hurdles at the 1928 Summer Olympics.

Early life

Born near Stamford, Lincolnshire, as heir to the 5th Marquess of Exeter, Lord Burghley was educated at Eton College, Institut Le Rosey, and Magdalene College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he was a member of the University Pitt Club.

Athlete

A notable runner at school and at Cambridge, he continued with his athletics and won the British AAA championships in 120 yd from 1929 to 1931 and the 440 yd (402m) hurdles from 1926 to 1928, and again in 1930 and 1932.

Burghley made his Olympics debut in Paris in 1924, when he was eliminated in the first round of the 110 metre hurdles event. At the 1928 Summer Olympics, Burghley was eliminated in the semi final of the 110 metre hurdles competition, but won the 400 m hurdles, beating second and third placed Americans Frank Cuhel and Morgan Taylor by 0.2 seconds. At the first Commonwealth Games in 1930, Burghley won both hurdling events and also was a member of gold medal winning British 4 x 440 yards relay team.

In 1931 Burghley was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Peterborough. He was granted a leave of absence to compete in the 1932 Summer Olympics, where he placed fourth in the 400 m hurdles event, fifth in the 110 m hurdles competition, and won a silver medal as a member of British 4×400 m relay team.

As an athlete, Burghley was a very keen practitioner who placed matchboxes on hurdles and practised knocking over the matchboxes with his lead foot without touching the hurdle. In 1927, his final year at Magdalene College, Cambridge, he amazed colleagues by sprinting around the Great Court at Trinity College in the time it took the college clock to toll 12 o'clock, inspiring the scene in the film Chariots of Fire (whose character Lord Andrew Lindsay is based upon Burghley) in which Harold Abrahams accomplishes the same feat.^{[citation needed]} Lord Burghley did not allow his name to be used in the film because of the inaccurate historical depiction in the movie. There was never a race upon which Harold Abrahams beat Lord Burghley in this feat as the movie depicts. Burghley is also said to have set another unusual record by racing around the upper promenade deck of the Queen Mary in 57 seconds, dressed in everyday clothes.^{[citation needed]}

Burghley later served as president of the Amateur Athletic Association for 40 years, president of the International Amateur Athletic Federation for 30 years and as a member of the International Olympic Committee for 48 years. He was also chairman of the Organising Committee of the 1948 Summer Olympics.

As an IOC member and president of the IAAF, Burghley presented the medals for the 200m at the Mexico Olympics in 1968 and appeared in some famous images of the Black Power salute of Tommie Smith and John Carlos. When later asked what he had thought of the gloves, he said: "I thought they had hurt their hand."

In 1951, while in Eastbourne, his doctor was John Bodkin Adams the suspected serial killer.

Politician

Burghley was a member of the Conservative and Unionist Party and served as MP for Peterborough from 1931 until 1943. He was first elected in the 1931 General Election, when he ousted the sitting Labour MP J. F. Horrabin. Burghley was returned to the House of Commons again in the 1935 General Election. Burghley resigned his Commons seat in 1943 when he was appointed Governor of Bermuda, a post in which he served until 1945.

Family

Lord Burghley married firstly in 1929, Lady Mary Theresa Montagu Douglas Scott (4 March 1904 – 1 June 1984), fourth daughter of Sir John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch & 9th Duke of Queensberry and Lady Margaret Alice "Molly" Bridgeman. They had four children before they divorced in 1946:

• Lady Davina Mary Cecil (b. 29 June 1931), married 1952 (divorced) John Vane, 11th Baron Barnard and had issue.
• John William Edward Cecil (1933–1934).
• Lady Gillian Moyra Katherine Cecil (b. 8 March 1935), married 1stly 1954 (divorced 1978) Sir Giles Floyd, 7th Baronet and had issue, two sons. She then married 1979 George Michael Kertesz (d. 16 February 2007), and thirdly April 2008 Jeremy Smith.
• Lady Angela Mary Rose Cecil (b. 21 May 1938), married William Richard Michael Oswald (Sir Michael Oswald, Master of the Queen's Stud) and had issue. Lady Angela was a long-term friend and Lady in Waiting to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

He married secondly, the war widow Diana Henderson (1911-1982), granddaughter of Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon and had a daughter,

• Lady Victoria Diana Cecil (b. 28 June 1947), married to Simon Leatham with issue and a well-known antiques expert and television personality. She was the chatelaine of Burghley House from 1982 until 2007. She has been succeeded by her daughter Miranda Rock.

Great Court Run

One scene in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire recreates a race in which the runners attempt to round the perimeter of the Great Court at Trinity College, Cambridge in the time it takes the clock to double strike the hour at midday or midnight. Many have tried to run the 367 metres (401 yards) around the court in the 43.6 seconds that it takes to strike 12 o'clock. Known as the Great Court Run, students traditionally attempt to complete the circuit on the evening of the Matriculation Dinner. The only people recognized to have actually completed the run in time are Lord Burghley in 1927 and Sam Dobin in 2007: contrary to the film, Harold Abrahams never attempted this race.

External links

• "Burghley: Bermuda’s Olympian Governor" (2012 article)
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Marquess of Exeter

Sporting positions
Preceded by Sigfrid Edström	Presidents of the IAAF 1946-1976	Succeeded by Adriaan Paulen
Preceded by Joseph Goebbels Karl Ritter von Halt	President of Organizing Committee for Summer Olympic Games 1948	Succeeded by Ilmari Salminen
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by James Horrabin	Member of Parliament for Peterborough 1931–1943	Succeeded by Viscount Suirdale
Government offices
Preceded by Viscount Knollys	Governor of Bermuda 1943–1945	Succeeded by Admiral Sir Ralph Leatham
Academic offices
Preceded by George Cunningham	Rector of the University of St Andrews 1949–1952	Succeeded by The Earl of Crawford
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by William Cecil	Marquess of Exeter 1956–1981	Succeeded by William Cecil