Alberto Byington

Alberto Byington
Personal information
Full nameAlberto Jackson Byington Jr.
NationalityBrazilian
Born(1902-05-18)18 May 1902
Died17 December 1964(1964-12-17) (aged 62)
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event110 metres hurdles

Alberto Jackson Byington Jr. (18 May 1902 – 17 December 1964) was a Brazilian athlete, industrialist and filmmaker.[1][2]

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he spent time in both the U.S. and Brazil and attended Harvard University for three years, graduating in 1924 with a degree in History and Iberian Literature.[1][2] He played association football at Harvard and also was selected to represent Brazil at the 1924 Summer Olympics, competing in the men's 110 metres hurdles.[2][3]

Byington became a noted innovator in Brazil, following in the footsteps of his father who invested in Brazil's first electrical grids.[2] He was active in the radio broadcasting business and founded the first record, motion picture and air conditioning establishments in the country's history.[2] In 1931, he produced Coisas Nossas, the first sound film in the country.[1] He made over a dozen films between 1925 and 1944.[1]

Byington was a described in an obituary as a "strong advocate of free enterprise and democracy".[2] He attended the University of São Paulo in later years and received a degree in Legal and Social Sciences; he fought class action lawsuits in opposition to two Presidents of Brazil.[1] He died on 17 December 1964.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Alberto Byington". Olympedia.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Brazilian Industrialist Byington, 60". The Boston Globe. 24 December 1964. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Alberto Byington Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2017.