Arthur Sulley

Who was Arthur Sulley?

Arthur Lindsay Sulley was a British rowing cox who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics.

Arthur L. Sulley was born in the Guisborough district of Yorkshire. He was educated at Cambridge University and coxed the winning Cambridge crew in the 1928 University Boat Race. In preparation for the Boat Race, he had joined Thames Rowing Club and had come down to the club on Sundays to increase his knowledge of the Championship Course. He was then asked by Jack Beresford to cox the Thames Rowing Club eight in the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 1928. After winning the Grand, the crew was selected to represent Great Britain at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. The crew won the silver medal rowing at the 1928 Summer Olympics. In 1929 Sulley coxed the winning Cambridge boat in the Boat Race again. At Cambridge he became friends with the cox of the Newnham College crew - Margery Evans. They were to marry, and had three sons.

Their first son Philip Sulley also took up coxing at Cambridge, becoming captain of the Selwyn College boat club. Their second son James Sulley coxed at his public school, Radley. He went to Cambridge, overlapping with his elder brother at Selwyn. He also coxed Cambridge, in 1958 and 1959