Herman Smith-Johannsen

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Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen, CM (June 15, 1875 – January 5, 1987) was a Norwegian-Canadian supercentenarian who gained widespread recognition for being one of the first people to introduce the sport of cross-country skiing to Canada and North America. He is recognized by certain groups within the cross-country skiing community in Canada for the many contributions he made to the sport and for his personal longevity.

Biography

Johannsen was born in the town of Horten, some fifty miles south of Norway's capital Oslo, and graduated with an engineering degree from the University of Berlin in 1899. He emigrated to the USA as a machinery salesman shortly thereafter. In 1907, Johannsen immigrated to Canada with his family and settled in the Laurentians in the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec. Johannsen learned French and further introduced skiing to the area.

While on a trip to Canada to sell machinery to the Canadian Grand Trunk Railway in 1902, Johannsen was befriended by the First Nations Cree in the wilderness above North Bay, Ontario. The nickname "Jackrabbit" is said to have been given to him by the Cree, who were impressed by his speed on skis compared to the snowshoes they were using at the time.

Johannsen married Alice Robinson in 1907 and settled permanently in the Laurentians region of Quebec in Canada during the Great Depression. He is credited with building many ski jumps and with blazing trails throughout Ontario, the Eastern Townships, and the Laurentians. On December 22, 1972, Johannsen was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada for fostering and developing skiing as a recreation and helping and encouraging generations of skiers in Canada.^[1]

Johannsen is the namesake of Cross Country Canada's Jackrabbit program designed to introduce children 6-9 to cross-country skiing through local ski clubs. Some former "Jackrabbits" introduced to skiing through the program include Olympic medalists Beckie Scott, Sara Renner, and Chandra Crawford and World Champions Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey.

He was profiled during ABC Sports coverage of the 1984 Winter Olympic Games.^[2]

He was an honorary member of the Norwegian skiing and gentlemen's club SK Ull.^[3] Jackrabbit died from pneumonia on January 5, 1987 at the age of 111 in a hospital near Tønsberg, Norway. He has been posthumously recognized as the oldest living man for the last month of his life.

Jackrabbit's great-grandson, Matthew Furney, is still skiing Teton Valley to this day and continuing his family legacy.

References

↑ Order of Canada
↑ 1984 Winter Olympics - Men's 15 Kilometer Cross Country - Part 2 - YouTube
↑ Vaage, Jakob (1983). Skiklubben Ull 100 år 1883–1983 (in Norwegian).

Johannsen, Alice E.(1993). The Legendary Jackrabbit Johannsen. McGill-Queens University Press. ISBN 0-7735-1151-2
Powell, Brian et al. (1975). Jackrabbit His First Hundred Years. Collier Macmillan Canada, Ltd.
Norton, Phillip. "Jackrabbit Johannsen. The Pioneer of Skiing in Canada". Canadian Geographic Magazine, Apr/May-1987:18-23.

External links

Preceded by Joe Thomas	Oldest recognized living man December 14, 1986 – January 5, 1987	Succeeded by Alphaeus Philemon Cole

v t e Oldest man in the world since 1962

Joseph Saint-Amour William Fullingim John Mosely Turner Friedrich Wedeking Frederick Butterfield Jean Teillet Charlie Nelson Charlie Phillips Mathew Beard Joe Thomas Herman Smith-Johannsen Alphaeus Philemon Cole John Evans Henri Pérignon James Wiggins Frederick Frazier Josep Armengol Jover Christian Mortensen Johnson Parks Walter Richardson Denzo Ishizaki Antonio Urrea-Hernández John Painter Antonio Todde Yukichi Chuganji Joan Riudavets Fred Hale Emiliano Mercado del Toro Tomoji Tanabe Henry Allingham Walter Breuning Jiroemon Kimura Salustiano Sanchez Arturo Licata

See also Ageing Oldest people List of the verified oldest men

Persondata
Name	Smith-Johannsen, Herman
Alternative names
Short description	Canadian cross-country skier
Date of birth	June 15, 1875
Place of birth
Date of death	January 5, 1987
Place of death

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