Irma Hopper

Irma Hopper fenced for the United States at the Olympics but she was best known for her songwriting talent. Her first published song was “Just Like A Violin” in 1922, and in 1923 she was the lyricist for the song “Under a Thousand Eyes.” She was later the songwriter and lyricist for the Broadway musical comedy “Say When,” which ran in 1928. Hopper’s other song credits include “When the Time to Say Goodnight Comes” (1924) and “If I Only Knew Where You Are Tonight” (1943). Hopper also served as a Captain during World War I. Hopper was US champion in women’s foil in 1924. Her husband, Charles Henry Hopper, was a stage actor who died in 1916, making Irma Hopper the rare Olympian who competed as a widow.