Jakob Erckrath de Bary

Jakob Erckrath de Bary was a multi-talented sportsman, practising gymnastics, shooting, rowing and tennis. His best sport, however, was fencing, a sport in which he competed in three Olympics from 1906-12. With the German sabre squad, Erckrath won the title in Athens 1906, the first time Germany won an international title in fencing. He never progressed past the first round individually, however.

A salesman by trade, Erckrath de Bary was one of the founders of the German Fencing Union in 1911, and served as its president until 1926. In 1913, he was also one of the godparents of the International Fencing Association (Fédération Internationale d’Escrime) and one of its vice-presidents. Together with non-Olympian Arturo Gazzera he translated Masaniello Parise’s textbook The Fencing with Épée and Sabre from Italian.

In 1936, together with Erwin Casmir, he organized the fencing competitions at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. In 1937, both received the golden badge of honor from the German Fencing Association. The next year, de Bary, who can be considered the founder of modern sport fencing in Germany, died at the age of 74.