Charles WALDSTEIN

Waldstein was a prominent archaeologist, who worked as director and professor of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens between 1889 and 1895, and later taught as a Slade Professor at Cambridge. He led many excavations, including those of ancient Argos and Eretria, and petitioned extensively for excavations of the Italian city of Herculaneum, which is near the more famous Pompei.

Charles Waldstein was an honorary member of the 1894 Sorbonne Congress, where the Modern Olympics were born. He was at the First Olympics in Athens as a participant in the shooting events, making him the oldest competitor, but also served on the organizing committee for the athletic and gymnastic events, and furthermore refereed at the cycling and tennis competitions.

Waldstein assumed British nationality in 1899, and was knighted in 1912. Six years later, he formally changed his surname to Walston because of anti-German sentiments. He died of heart failure while on a cruise in the Mediterranean.