Edward Gourdin

Who was Edward Gourdin?

Edward Orval "Ned" Gourdin was an American athlete and jurist. He was the first man in history to make 25 feet in the long jump and the first African-American and the first Native-American to be appointed a Superior Court judge in New England.

He won the silver medal in the Long Jump at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

Following his return from the Olympics, Gourdin was admitted to the bar. He left his law practice in 1935 to serve as assistant United States Attorney from Massachusetts. In 1951 he was appointed to the Roxbury District Court. On July 22, 1958, he was appointed by governor Foster Furcolo to serve on the Massachusetts Superior Court, the Commonwealth's second highest court. He remained on the court until his death on July 22, 1966.

Gourdin attended Harvard University, where he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.