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Margaret Hoffman

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Margaret Pierce Hoffman
Margaret Hoffman in 1932[1]
Personal information
Full nameMargaret Pierce Hoffman[2]
Nickname"Peg"
National team United States
Born(1911-06-19)June 19, 1911
Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
DiedMarch 25, 1991(1991-03-25) (aged 79)
Indiana, Pennsylvania[2]
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[3]
Weight125 lb (57 kg)
Education
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
ClubScranton Swimming Assoc.
CoachHoadley Hagen
Wright B. Jones
Hi Antrim
(Scranton SA)

Margaret Pierce Hoffman (June 19, 1911 – March 25, 1991) was an American competition swimmer who represented the United States in the 200 meter breaststroke at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[4]

Early life

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Hoffman was born on June 19, 1911, in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, to Mr. Edwin A. and Louise Witherow Hoffman.[5][6] She attended Kingston's Wyoming Seminary, a college preparatory school very close to her birthplace in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.[7]

Hoffman was described as having a "natural athletic ability", being picked in late 1927 as a student with "good free style prospect" by the Scranton Swimming Association, where she trained and was coached by Hoadley Hagen, Wright B. Jones, and Hi Antrim.[3] In 1928, she was selected to compete in the AAU Middle Atlantic championships in Philadelphia, winning the event, in her first breaststroke race, and setting a meet record of 3:17.[8][3]

Olympics

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She competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam finishing third in her first heat, and fifth in the final of the women's 200-meter breaststroke event with a 3:19.2. Though she finished out of medal contention, she was the only American point winner in the event at Amsterdam, and the first American to finish the final.[3][7]

1932

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Four years later, as a Senior at Mt. Holyoke, Hoffman won both the first and third (final) heats of the 200-meter breaststroke, at the 1932 Olympic trials in Los Angeles in mid-July, 1932, setting a new American record of 3:12:3 in the process.[9][10]

She would not medal in the Olympic competition in the early August, 1932 Olympic 200-meter breaststroke event in Los Angeles, finishing fifth with a time of 3:11.8. Claire Dennis of Australia, a recent world record holder, and Hideko Maehata of Japan took the gold and silver with times of 3:06.3 and 3:06.4 respectively.[11]

Later life

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After completing her undergraduate degree from Mt. Holyoke, she received a Masters from Temple University. Pursuing a career in education, she chaired Physical Education at the Wyoming Seminary, before becoming a mathematics teacher at the Shipley school in Bryn Mawr.[6][2]

She died on March 25, 1991 in Beacon Manor, Indiana, Pennsylvania. She had lived some of her retired life in Falmouth, Maine.[6] Funeral services were held at the Robinson-Lytle Funeral Home in Indiana, Pennsylvania.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Fair Olympic Girls Who'll Splash for U.S." The Decatur Daily. July 28, 1932. p. 6. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Obituary, Margaret Hoffman". The Times Leader. March 26, 1991. p. 33. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "Coach of Miss Hoffman Tells of her Early Career". Transcript-Telegram. August 11, 1932. p. 6. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  4. ^ "Margaret HOFFMAN - Olympic Swimming | United States of America". International Olympic Committee. June 14, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  5. ^ "Swimming Star Exchange Guest". The Times Leader. August 29, 1928. p. 14. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Obituaries". Indiana Gazette. March 26, 1991. p. 17. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Olympedia Biography, Peg Hoffman". olympedia.org. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  8. ^ "Ambassador Naiads Win Medley Race Swim Title". Atlantic City Sunday Press the Sunday Gazette. March 31, 1929. p. 13. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  9. ^ Powers, Jimmy (July 16, 1932). "Mermaids Thrill 45,000! Margret Hoffman Breaks U.S. Breast Stroke Mark". Daily News. p. 75. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  10. ^ "Miss Hoffman sets a new Record". Transcript-Telegram. July 16, 1932. p. 5.
  11. ^ "Kingston Girl Tells of Olympic "Grind"". The Times Leader. November 25, 1932. p. 3. Retrieved September 5, 2023.