Ned Hanlan

Edward Ned Hanlan (12 July 1855 to 4 January 1908) was a Canadian professional sculler, hotelier and alderman from Toronto, Ontario. Born to Irish parents on the Toronto Islands, where his father kept a small hotel, he rowed across the harbour to school and became amateur champion of Toronto Bay at eighteen. He turned professional around 1874 or 1875, beat all comers at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, became champion sculler of Canada in 1877 and of the United States in 1878, and went on to be world sculling champion for five consecutive years from 1880 to 1884. He lost only six of about 300 races, and Rowing Canada Aviron describes him as widely regarded as the country's first individual sporting hero.