Bascom Johnson

Bascom Johnson competed at the 1900 Paris Olympics in a special pole vault competition. The 1900 pole vault was scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The Americans claimed that the French told them that any field event final that was contested on Sunday would not be considered finished until the Americans had a chance to better the marks posted the next day. However, on Saturday night, the French ruled that the results of all Sunday events would be final, with no recourse to any athletes who did not compete due to Sabbatarian objections. Apparently, the Americans were not told of this decision.

The top American vaulters were Johnson, Charles Dvorak, and Daniel Horton. They were not at the field on Sunday when the pole vault started, which was won by American [Irv Baxter], with second going to another American, Meredith Colket.

On Monday, the French authorities held a special pole vault event to assuage the angry American officials. Bascom Johnson won this event by clearing 3.38 metres, but it had no bearing on the Olympic championship.

Johnson graduated from Yale University in 1900. He won the pole vault at the IC4A Championship in 1897 and 1900, and was third at that meet in 1898 and second in 1899. Johnson also won the pole vault at the Harvard-Yale dual meet in 1897, 1898, and 1900.

He then obtained a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Johnson later became a law officer with the Federal Indian Bureau. He became secretary of the Recreation Committee of New York City, and then worked with the American Social Hygiene Association. In that role he made efforts to eradicate prostitution in the American west, particularly the Barbary Coast of San Francisco. During World War I Johnson worked with the US military to combat venereal disease in soldiers. From 1924-27 he was the head of League of Nations investigations into international sex slavery trafficking.