Albert Corey

Albert Corey won a silver medal in the marathon at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics. He was a French citizen at the time but had been in the US for a few years and ran for the Chicago Athletic Association. Corey was born in Meursault in the Côte d’Or department in France. He studied accounting in Charenton-le-Pont but joined the Army in 1896, serving with the 8th Battalion of Foot Hunters. Corey ran the Paris Marathon in 1901, finishing 10th, and was then seventh at that race in 1902.

Later in 1902, Corey moved to the United States, initially settling in Dayton, Ohio. In 1904 he moved to Chicago where he worked in a slaughterhouse. Corey then competed at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, while representing the Chicago AA.

Returning to Chicago, Corey ran the first edition of the Chicago Marathon in 1905 but did not finish. He played fourth in the race in 1906 and was second in 1907, before winning it in 1908. Corey later turned professional, running against Dorando Pietri in an indoor marathon in Chicago in January 1909. Pietri won the race, in which Corey stopped after 19 miles due to blisters.

Corey then returned to France. He initially worked as a journalist, but he rejoined the Army and was taken prisoner during World War I. After the armistice he joined the Polish Army, fighting in Upper Silesia, Iraq, and Syria, eventually ending his military career in Germany with the rank of adjutant.

Personal Best: Mar – 3-12:55 (1902).