From New York’s New West Side AC, Bill Beckman won three matches by throws at the 1904 Olympics, but he lost a close decision in the finals to Charles Ericksen. Beckman was the defending champion in 1903, having won his only AAU Championship in 1904 at 158 lbs. In 1906 he accidentally shot himself in the thigh, with the bullet passing into his calf, but he was not seriously injured and was later able to compete. Beckman later became a construction foreman for the Electric Subway Company, and a member of the Association of Employees of the New York Edison Company.