Introducing cross country skiing to Canada and North America Oldest living man for 22 days (14 December 1986 – 5 January 1987)
Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen, CM[1] (15 June 1875 – 5 January 1987) was a Norwegian skier, credited for introducing cross-country skiing to North America. In his youth he was rated one of the best all-round Norwegian skiers.[2] He became a supercentenarian and died at 111.
Johannsen was born in Horten, Norway, on 15 June 1875,[3] the oldest of nine children. After studying in Berlin he moved to the United States[4] before settling in Piedmont, Quebec. He married Alice Robinson (1882–1963) in 1907. They had three children; Alice (1911–1992), Robert "Bob" (1915–2001) and Peggy (1918–2014).
Marker on house the Johannsen's acquired to live in c. 1916 in Pelham, New York
The family moved to Pelham, just outside New York City, in 1916.[5] Johannsen managed a business importing heavy-equipment from Norway to North America and Cuba, shuttling between New York and Montreal, until the family permanently settled in Canada ca. 1929.[6][7]
While on a trip to Norway to visit friends, Johannsen became ill and doctors would not let him fly home. Johannsen died from pneumonia on 5 January 1987, aged 111 years, 204 days, near Tønsberg, Norway, being the oldest man in the world for the last 22 days of his life. He is buried by the St. Sauveur church in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, Canada, next to his wife, who died in 1963. His archives are held at the McGill University Archives in Montreal.[8]
Johannsen graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1894 with a commission as a lieutenant in the Norwegian Army Reserve.
In 1899 he graduated with an engineering degree from the University of Berlin. Two years later he moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he worked at selling heavy machinery.[9] In 1907 he became an independent agent, selling heavy equipment, based out of New York City and eventually Montreal.
Founded in 1986, the Jackrabbit Ski Trail in the Adirondacks is named in honour of Johannsen. While living and vacationing in Lake Placid between 1916 and 1928, Johannsen laid out some of the original routes used by today's trail.[10][11] He was also famous for his one-day ascents of Mount Marcy (the highest mountain in New York State) starting from Lake Placid, a round-trip of over 30 miles.[12]
Johannsen is also 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 medallists Beckie Scott, Sara Renner, and Chandra Crawford and World Champions Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey.[13]
^Johannsen, Alice E.,1993, The Legendary Jackrabbit Johannsen, Montreal, Canada, McGill Queens Press, pp.148ff, ISBN0773511512
^Johannsen, Alice E. (Alice Elisabeth), 1911–1992. (1993). The legendary Jackrabbit Johannsen. Montreal [Que.]: McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 136–138. ISBN9780773564312. OCLC243579985.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Johannsen, Alice E. (Alice Elisabeth), 1911–1992. (1993). The legendary Jackrabbit Johannsen. Montreal [Que.]: McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 149. ISBN9780773564312. OCLC243579985.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Johannsen, Alice E.(1993). The Legendary Jackrabbit Johannsen. McGill-Queens University Press. ISBN0-7735-1151-2
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.
Møller, Arvid(1980). (in Norwegian) Høvding Herman : fortellingen om Herman Smith-Johannsen (Chief Herman: tales about Herman Smith-Johannsen). Aschehoug, Oslo, ISBN8-2031-0394-4
