Tedford H. Cann

Infobox Military Person
name=Tedford Harris Cann
born= birth date|1897|9|3
died= death date and age|1963|1|26|1897|9|3
placeofbirth=Bridgeport, Connecticut
placeofdeath=
placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery


caption=Ensign Tedford H. Cann, circa 1918
nickname="Ted"
allegiance=United States of America
branch=United States Naval Reserve
serviceyears=
rank=Ensign
commands=
unit=USS "May" (SP-164) USS "Noma" (SP-131)
battles=World War I
awards=Medal of Honor
laterwork=World record holder in swimming, Olympian

Tedford Harris Cann (3 September 1897 - 26 January 1963) was a champion American swimmer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. He served as an officer in the United States Naval Reserve during World War I and earned the medal for saving his sinking ship.

Early life

Cann was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, into a family of accomplished sportsmen. His father, Frank Cann, was the director of physical education at New York University (NYU), which both Tedford and his older brother Howard Cann attended. Howard was an Olympic shot putter, a college basketball and football player, and the NYU men's basketball coach for 35 years.

Cann's swimming career began while he was still a teenager. He attended the High School of Commerce in New York City where he was Captain of the Swimming Team and competed in the New York Championships. He was also Captain of the Basketball Team and a member of the Omega Gamma Delta Fraternity. At age 17 he defeated Hawaiian swimmer Duke Kahanamoku, an event which he later declared was a greater thrill than being awarded the Medal of Honor. While a student at New York University, Cann also excelled in track and field, basketball, and football, where he played halfback.

Military service

He served in the Navy Reserve during World War I, initially as a Seaman. On 5 November 1917, while he was a member of the crew of the patrol vessel USS "May" (SP-164), Seaman Cann voluntarily swam into a flooded compartment and repeatedly dived beneath the surface until he had located and closed the leak that endangered the ship. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for this act.

In April 1918, Cann was commissioned as an ensign in the Reserves, continuing to serve on the USS "May" into July. He spent the rest of World War I as an officer on the USS "Noma" (SP-131) and left the service shortly after the conflict's end.

Post-war life

Cann resumed his swimming career after the war. Coached by Matt Mann, Cann swam with The New York Athletic Club and later the Detroit Athletic Club. On April 10 1920 in Detroit, Michigan, he set the world record in the 200 meter freestyle (then called the 220 yard freestyle) with a time of 2:19.8, breaking the previous record of 2:21.6 set by Norman Ross in 1916. His record would stand until 1922, when Johnny Weissmuller swam the distance in 2:15.6. Also in 1920, Cann won the Amateur Athletic Union National Championships in the 50, 100 and 200 meter races, becoming the first person to win all three of those titles in a single year.

He had qualified for and was preparing to participate in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp when he was involved in a serious car accident. On September 10 1920, Cann and two other Olympic-hopefuls were in a taxicab in New York City, returning home from a late night out, when the driver crashed into an elevated railroad pillar. One of Cann's fellow passengers was fatally injured, and Cann's leg was broken in six places. He missed the Olympics due to his injury, which required him to use crutches for more than a year and left him with a permanent limp. Although he was never able to swim as fast as he had before the accident, Cann took up water polo with much success. He participated in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and played with The New York Athletic Club national champion polo team up to the early 1930s.

Cann died at age 65 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia. Four years later, in 1967, he was posthumously inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a swimmer.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 3 September 1897, Bridgeport, Conn. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 366, 1918.

Citation::For courageous conduct while serving on board the U.S.S. May, 5 November 1917. Cann found a leak in a flooded compartment and closed it at the peril of his life, thereby unquestionably saving the ship.

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War I

References

*findagrave|6162645 Retrieved on 2008-01-28

*cite web
publisher = Naval Historical Center
title = US People - Cann, Tedford H.
work = Online Library
date = 2002-01-22
url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-c/th-cann.htm
accessdate = 2006-08-05

*cite web
publisher = arlingtoncemetery.net
title = Tedford Harris Cann, Ensign, United States Navy
date = 19 October 2007
url = http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/thcann.htm
accessdate = 2007-10-22

*cite web
publisher = International Swimming Hall of Fame
title = Tedford Cann (USA) - 1967 Honor Swimmer
url = http://www.ishof.org/honorees/67/67tcann.html
accessdate = 2007-10-22

*cite web
publisher = medalofhonor.com
title = Tedford Harris Cann, Ensign, United States Navy
date = 19 October 2007
url = http://www.medalofhonor.com/TedfordCann.htm
accessdate = 2007-10-22

*cite journal
publisher = New York Times
title = Tedford Harris Cann, Ensign, United States Navy
date = 19 October 2007
url = http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9801E4D7133BEE3ABC4C51DFB4668383609EDE&oref=slogin
accessdate = 2007-10-22

*cite journal
publisher = New York Times
title = Olympic Aspirants Hurt in Taxi Crash
date = 19 October 2007
url = http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9F02E7DF1F31E03ABC4A52DFB366838B639EDE&oref=slogin
accessdate = 2007-10-22

Persondata
NAME= Cann, Tedford H.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=