19 Facts About Frank Beaurepaire

Sir Francis Joseph Edmund Beaurepaire was an Australian distance freestyle swimmer from the 1900s to the 1920s, who won three silver and three bronze medals, from the 1908 Summer Olympics in London to the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Frank Beaurepaire was born to Francis Edmund de Frank Beaurepaire, a cable tram conductor, and Mary Edith Inman.

Frank Beaurepaire had his first swimming lesson at the age of four, when his father dropped him into the sea water baths at South Melbourne with a rope tied around his waist.

Frank Beaurepaire often practised in the sea, close to where effluent was ejected into Port Phillip Bay.

Frank Beaurepaire's career was nearly ended when he was hospitalized for 12 months with rheumatic fever.

However, encouraged by his schoolteacher and South Melbourne barber Tommy Horlock, who later became his coach, Frank Beaurepaire fought off the ailment and resumed training with the Albert Park State School Swimming Club.

Frank Beaurepaire trained in London for three months before the Games.

Frank Beaurepaire competed in 41 first-class and championship races in four months, winning all of them.

Frank Beaurepaire was barred from Olympic competition by the International Swimming Federation, which ruled him to be a professional, although he was not earning money for swimming.

Frank Beaurepaire joined the Australian Defence Force as an infantryman, but was invalided and joined the YMCA services, and served in Egypt, England and France before being hospitalized in 1917 with trench fever and gassing, and being returned to Australia.

Frank Beaurepaire was named as the captain of the swimming team for the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Frank Beaurepaire attended the 1932 Summer Olympics as a swimming official and judge.

Frank Beaurepaire used this to start Beaurepaires, a tyres, wheels, batteries business, which had assets worth more than 8 million pounds at his death.

From 1940 to 1942, Frank Beaurepaire was the Lord Mayor of Melbourne.

Frank Beaurepaire was knighted in the King's Birthday Honours of 1942.

Frank Beaurepaire was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council in 1942, serving until 1952.

Frank Beaurepaire was an unsuccessful candidate for Senate for the United Australia Party in the 1943 federal election.

In 1949 Melbourne won the hosting rights and Frank Beaurepaire was again re-elected as Lord Mayor.

Frank Beaurepaire hoped that he could preside over the Games.