View source for David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter

{{Short description|English athlete and sports official (1905–81)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2010}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| headercolor =
| honorific-prefix = [[The Most Honourable]]
| name = The Marquess of Exeter
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of St Michael and St George|KCMG]] [[KStJ]]
| fullname = David George Brownlow Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter
| image = LordExeter.jpg
| caption = Burghley in 1924
| nationality = British
| sport = [[Athletics (sport)|Athletics]]
| event = [[Hurdling|Hurdles]]
| club = University of Cambridge AC<br>[[Achilles Club]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1905|2|9}}
| birth_place = [[Burghley House]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1981|10|21|1905|2|9}}
| death_place = London, England
| height = 5 ft 10 in
| weight = {{convert|10|st|10|lb|lb kg|0|abbr=on}}
| pb = 
*110 mH: 14.5 (1930)
*400 mH: 52.01 (1932)
*400 m: 49.7 (1929)<ref name=sr/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=905&Gender=M |title=David Burghley |website=trackfield.brinkster.net}}</ref>
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|Olympics}}
{{MedalGold|[[1928 Summer Olympics|1928 Amsterdam]]|[[Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metre hurdles|400 m hurdles]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1932 Summer Olympics|1932 Los Angeles]]|[[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{ENG}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games|British Empire Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1930 British Empire Games|1930 Hamilton]] | 120 yd hurdles}}
{{MedalGold| [[1930 British Empire Games|1930 Hamilton]] | 440 yd hurdles}}
{{MedalGold| [[1930 British Empire Games|1930 Hamilton]] | 4 × 440 yd relay}}
}}

'''David George Brownlow Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter''', [[Order of St Michael and St George|KCMG]], [[KStJ]] (9 February 1905 – 21 October 1981),<ref>[[The Daily Telegraph]], p.32, 23 October 1981</ref> styled '''Lord Burghley''' from birth until 1956 and also known as '''David Burghley''', was an English [[Athletics (sport)|athlete]], sports official, peer, and [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] politician. He won the [[gold medal]] in the 400 m hurdles at the [[1928 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=sr>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bu/david-lord-burghley-1.html |title=David, Lord Burghley |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417114030/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bu/david-lord-burghley-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-17}}</ref>

==Early life==
Born near [[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]], [[Lincolnshire]], as heir to the [[William Cecil, 5th Marquess of Exeter|5th Marquess of Exeter]], Lord Burghley was educated at [[Institut Le Rosey]] in [[Switzerland]], [[Ludgrove School]], [[Eton College]] and [[Magdalene College, Cambridge]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Barber |first1=Richard |title=The Story of Ludgrove |date=2004 |publisher=Guidon Publishing |location=Oxford |isbn=0-9543617-2-5 |page=108}}</ref><ref name=sr/><ref>[http://www.xreferplus.com/entry.jsp?xrefid=6148807&secid=.-&hh=1 Exeter, 6th Marquess of]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} in [[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who 2007]] (retrieved 29 September 2007)</ref> At [[Cambridge]], he was president of the [[Cambridge University Athletics Club]] and a member of the [[Pitt Club]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fletcher |first1=Walter Morley |author-link1=Walter Morley Fletcher |title=The University Pitt Club: 1835–1935 |edition=First Paperback |year=2011 |orig-year=1935 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-1-107-60006-5|pages=100–101}}</ref>

==Athlete==
[[File:Lord Burghley at the British Empire Games. 1930.png|thumb|right|250px|Lord Burghley wins the 440 yards hurdles at the [[1930 British Empire Games]]]]
[[File:John Carlos, Tommie Smith, Peter Norman 1968cr.jpg |thumb|The Marquess of Exeter (in red blazer) in the foreground after presenting the medals for the 200 metres at the [[1968 Summer Olympics]]]]
A notable runner at school and at Cambridge, he continued with his athletics and won the British [[Amateur Athletic Association|AAA]] championships in 120 yd from 1929 to 1931 and the {{convert|440|yd|m|abbr=on}} hurdles from 1926 to 1928, and again in 1930 and 1932.

Burghley made his [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] debut in [[Paris]] in [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924]], when he was eliminated in the first round of the [[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 110 metres hurdles|110 metre hurdles event]]. At the [[1928 Summer Olympics]], Burghley was eliminated in the semifinal of the [[Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics - Men's 110 metre hurdles|110 metre hurdles competition]], but won the [[400 metres hurdles]], beating second and third placed [[United States|Americans]] [[Frank Cuhel]] and [[Morgan Taylor]] by 0.2 seconds. At the [[1930 British Empire Games|first Commonwealth Games]] in 1930, Burghley won both hurdling events and was also a member of the gold medal winning British 4 × 440 yards [[Relay race|relay]] team. In 1927–1930 Burghley also set several British records, one of which, 24.7 s in the [[Low hurdles|220 yard hurdles]], set in 1927, stood until 1950.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/68929 |title=David Cecil |work=Olympedia |access-date=21 September 2021}}</ref>

In 1931 Burghley was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for [[Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)|Peterborough]]. He was granted a leave of absence to compete in the [[1932 Summer Olympics]], where he placed fourth in the [[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metre hurdles|400 m hurdles event]], fifth in the [[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics - Men's 110 metre hurdles|110 m hurdles competition]], and won a silver medal as a member of the British [[4 × 400 metres relay]] team, which set a new European record in the process.<ref name=sr/>

In 1933, Burghley became a member of the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC). Three years later he was elected President of the [[Amateur Athletic Association]] and Chairman of the [[British Olympic Association]]. In 1946 he became President of the [[International Amateur Athletic Federation]] (IAAF) and later acted as Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the [[1948 Summer Olympics]]. Between 1952 and 1966 he was vice-president of the IOC and was a presidential candidate in 1952 and 1964.<ref name=sr/>

As an IOC member and president of the IAAF, Burghley presented the medals for the 200 m at the [[Mexico Olympics]] in 1968 and appeared in some famous images of the [[1968 Olympics Black Power salute|Black Power salute]] given by [[Tommie Smith]] and [[John Carlos]].<ref>[http://www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/accreditation-details/activist-athlete-john-carlos-is-brightons-guest-lecturer/ Activist athlete John Carlos is Brighton lecturer]; Sports Journalists' Association 2 March 2012</ref> When later asked what he had thought of the gloves, he said: "I thought they had hurt their hand."<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/feb/08/olympic-moments-tommie-smith-john-carlos "50 stunning Olympic moments No13: Tommie Smith and John Carlos salute"] ''The Guardian'' 8 February 2012</ref>

==Politician==
Burghley was a member of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative and Unionist Party]] and served as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] for [[Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)|Peterborough]] from 1931 until 1943. He was elected in the [[1931 United Kingdom general election|1931 general election]], defeating the sitting [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] MP [[J. F. Horrabin]]. Burghley was returned to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] in the [[1935 United Kingdom general election|1935 general election]]. He was for many years Chairman of the [[Junior Imperial League]]. Burghley resigned his Commons seat in 1943 to take up appointment as [[Governor of Bermuda]], a post in which he served until 1945.<ref name=sr/>

==Family==
[[File:Memorial to David George Brownlow, 6th Marquess of Exeter, in St Martin's Church, Stamford Baron.jpg|thumb|Memorial in [[St Martin's Church, Stamford]]]]
The Marquess of Exeter was a descendant of [[William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley]], chief minister and, later, treasurer to Queen [[Elizabeth I]]. On his death the title passed to his brother, [[Martin Cecil, 7th Marquess of Exeter|Lord Martin Cecil]].

Lord Burghley married firstly on 10 January 1929,<ref name="Burke">Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes''. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.</ref> his second cousin, Lady Mary Theresa Montagu Douglas Scott (4 March 1904 – 1 June 1984), fourth daughter of [[John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch|John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch & 9th Duke of Queensberry]], and Lady Margaret Alice Bridgeman.<ref name=sr/> They were cousins through their common descent from [[Richard Lumley, 9th Earl of Scarbrough]]. They had four children before divorcing in 1946:<ref name="Burke"/>

*Lady Davina Mary Cecil (29 June 1931 – 6 September 2018),<ref>Peter W. Hammond, editor, T''he Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda'' (Stroud, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Sutton Publishing, 1998), p. 66.</ref> married [[John Vane, 11th Baron Barnard]] on 8 October 1952.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tributes paid to Lady Davina Barnard, who died aged 87|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/16886676.tributes-paid-lady-davina-barnard-died-aged-87/|access-date=2020-08-17|website=The Northern Echo|date=19 September 2018 }}</ref> They divorced in 1993.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lord Barnard dies aged 92 |url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/lord-barnard-dies-aged-92-1-7831925 |website=[[Sunderland Echo]] |access-date=3 March 2020 |date=4 April 2016 |archive-date=15 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415150456/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/lord-barnard-dies-aged-92-1-7831925 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*Hon. John William Edward Cecil (1 June 1933 – 6 Jul 1934).<ref name="Burke"/>
*Lady Gillian Moyra Katherine Cecil (8 March 1935 - 17 June 2022),<ref name="Burke"/> married Sir Giles Henry Charles Floyd, 7th Baronet on 23 November 1954.<ref>{{cite web|title=Henry Edward Cecil (Harry) Floyd 1958–2013|date=27 March 2013 |url=http://peeragenews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/henry-edward-cecil-harry-floyd-1958-2013.html}}</ref> They divorced in 1978.<ref name ="Burke2">Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition'', volume 1, p. 1365. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.</ref>
*Lady Angela Mary Rose Cecil (born 21 May 1938),<ref name="Burke"/> [[Royal Victorian Order|CVO]] and former [[Woman of the Bedchamber]] to [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]]; married [[Michael Oswald|Sir William Richard Michael Oswald]] on 21 April 1958.<ref name ="Burke2"/>

He married secondly on 12 December 1946,<ref name="Burke"/> Diana Mary Henderson (10 January 1911 – 6 June 1982),<ref>Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition'', volume 1, p. 1390. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.</ref> granddaughter of [[Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon]],<ref name=sr/> and widow of Lt.-Col. David Walter Arthur William Forbes.<ref name="Burke"/> They had one daughter:

*[[Lady Victoria Leatham|Lady Victoria Diana Cecil]] (born 28 June 1947),<ref name="Burke"/> married Simon Patrick Leatham on 25 April 1967.<ref name ="Burke2"/>

==Great Court Run==
In June 1927, in his final year at [[Magdalene College, Cambridge]], Burghley sprinted around [[Great Court, Trinity College, Cambridge|Great Court]] at [[Trinity College, Cambridge|Trinity College]] at midnight in the time it took the college clock to toll 12 o'clock. This inspired the scene in the film ''[[Chariots of Fire]]'' in which [[Harold Abrahams]] accomplishes the same feat. The character Lord Andrew Lindsay in ''Chariots of Fire'', played by [[Nigel Havers]], is based upon Burghley, but he did not allow his name to be used because of the inaccurate historical depiction in the film. There was never a race in which Abrahams beat Burghley in this feat as the film suggests; in fact, Abrahams never attempted the [[Great Court Run]].<ref name=clock>{{cite news|last=Ryan|first=Mark|title=Flame & Fortune|newspaper=Runner's World|date=February 2012}}</ref>

Burghley was the first{{dubious|date=November 2019}} to run the {{convert|367|m|yd|abbr=off}} around the court in the 43.6 seconds that it takes the clock to strike 12 o'clock. Known as the Great Court Run, students traditionally attempted to complete the circuit on the night of the Matriculation Dinner; in modern times the run is attempted at noon.<ref name=clock/>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|David Burghley}}
* [http://bernews.com/2012/03/burghley-bermudas-olympian-governor "Burghley: Bermuda’s Olympian Governor"] (2012 article)
* {{Hansard-contribs | lord-burghley-1 | the Marquess of Exeter }}
* {{Olympics.com profile|david-george-burghley|David George Burghley}}
*[https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/cultural-collections/archives/from-the-parliamentary-collections/parliament-and-the-olympics/olympicgames1948/ Lord Burghley & the 1948 Olympics – UK Parliament Living Heritage]

{{S-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box
 | title  = [[International Association of Athletics Federations#Presidents|Presidents of the IAAF]]
 | before = {{Flag icon|SWE}} [[J. Sigfrid Edström]]
 | after  = {{flagicon|NED}} [[Adriaan Paulen]]
 | years  = 1946–1976
}}
{{succession box
 | title  = [[President of the Olympic Organizing Committee|President of Organizing Committee for Summer Olympic Games]]
 | before = {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Joseph Goebbels]]<br />[[Karl Ritter von Halt]]
 | after  = {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Ilmari Salminen]]
 | years  = [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948]]
}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{succession box
 | title  = Member of Parliament for [[Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)|Peterborough]]
 | before = [[J.F. Horrabin|James Horrabin]]
 | after  = [[John Hely-Hutchinson, 7th Earl of Donoughmore|Viscount Suirdale]]
 | years  = [[1931 United Kingdom general election|1931]]–[[1943 Peterborough by-election|1943]]
}}
{{s-gov}}
{{succession box
 | title  = [[Governor of Bermuda]]
 | before = [[Edward Knollys, 2nd Viscount Knollys|Viscount Knollys]]
 | after  = [[Admiral]] [[Ralph Leatham|Sir Ralph Leatham]]
 | years  = 1943–1945
}}
{{s-aca}}
{{succession box
 | title  = [[Rector of the University of St Andrews]]
 | before = [[George Cunningham (governor)|George Cunningham]]
 | after  = [[David Lindsay, 28th Earl of Crawford|The Earl of Crawford]]
 | years  = 1949–1952
}}
{{s-reg|uk}}
{{succession box
 | title  = [[Marquess of Exeter]]
 | before = [[William Cecil, 5th Marquess of Exeter|William Cecil]]
 | after  = [[William Cecil, 7th Marquess of Exeter|William Cecil]]
 | years  = 1956–1981
}}
{{S-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m hurdles Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 110m Hurdles Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 400m Hurdles Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 4x400 m Men}}
{{Footer Great Britain athletics team at the 1924 Summer Olympics}}

{{Rectors of the University of St Andrews}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Exeter, David Cecil, 6th Marquess of}}
[[Category:1905 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:Barons Burghley]]
[[Category:British sportsperson-politicians]]
[[Category:English men hurdlers]]
[[Category:British men hurdlers]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:English Olympic competitors]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1930 British Empire Games|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Cecil family|David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter]]
[[Category:Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:British International Olympic Committee members]]
[[Category:Sport of athletics officials]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:People educated at Eton College]]
[[Category:People from Stamford, Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Rectors of the University of St Andrews]]
[[Category:Alumni of Institut Le Rosey]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1931–1935|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1935–1945|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Governors of Bermuda]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games]]
[[Category:Bermuda in World War II]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics|Cecil, David]]
[[Category:Sport of athletics administrators]]
[[Category:Marquesses of Exeter (1801 creation)|6]]
[[Category:Presidents of World Athletics]]
[[Category:People educated at Ludgrove School]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1930 British Empire Games]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]
[[Category:Sportspeople awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]