Frank PIERCE

Very little is known about Frank Pierce, but he is the first Native American to compete for the United States in the Olympic Games. Pierce was a Seneca Indian from New York State, who competed for the Pastime Athletic Club of New York City, and his diminutive size (5-6 and 125 lbs.) made him fit perfectly as a distance runner. He was one of three Seneca Indian distance-running brothers, with his older brother, Jerry Pierce, having recorded a time of 15:57.4 for 3 miles in 1901, and he also finished second that year in the AAU 5-mile championship, followed by a third-place finish in the same event in 1902. The youngest brother was Tom, who was not as well-known as a runner.

At the St. Louis Olympic Games in 1904, Frank Pierce represented the Pastime AC and entered for the marathon. He never contended in the race, and did not finish, with the St. Louis newspapers giving him no mention in the summaries of the race. No further details of his athletic career or life are known.

Personal Best: Mar – unknown.