Joe Rantz's gold medal from the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, currently on display at the Conibear Shellhouse, University of Washington campus courtesy of the Rantz family
Joseph Harry Rantz (March 31, 1914 – September 10, 2007) was an American rower who won Olympic gold in the men's eight at the 1936 Summer Olympics.[1]
Early life
Born in Spokane, Washington, Joe Rantz had a harsh childhood in Boulder City, Idaho and, later, Sequim, Washington. His mother, Nellie Maxwell (1881–1918), died from throat cancer when Rantz was four.[2] His father, Harry Rantz (1880–1966), remarried in 1921, but Rantz did not connect well with his stepmother, Thula LaFollete (1897–1935), who struggled to raise Rantz and her four younger biological children.[2] From age 15, Rantz reared himself in an unfinished house abandoned by his father and stepmother and put himself through high school. He gained admission to the University of Washington.[2]
Rowing and later career
Rantz rowed in the University of Washington senior varsity eights which won US national Intercollegiate Rowing Association titles in 1936 and 1937 as well as the victorious sophomore eight of 1935 and freshman eight of 1934.[2][3] Rantz is the central character in the non-fiction book The Boys in the Boat, which chronicles his struggles through life in his early years, culminating with his Olympic gold medal win from the seven seat of the US men's eight at Berlin in 1936.[2] The book inspired the PBS documentary American Experience: The Boys of '36 and a 2023 feature film directed by George Clooney, where Rantz was portrayed by Callum Turner.
Rantz earned a chemical engineering degree from the university and worked for Boeing for 35 years following his retirement from rowing, contributing to the invention of the cleanroom. He died of congestive heart failure in Redmond, Washington, at age 93.[1][2]
