Albertson Van Zo Post

Albertson Van Zo Post, born on July twenty-eighth, eighteen sixty-six in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a remarkable American fencer and novelist. He was the eldest of seven children in a family with a rich heritage; his mother, Caroline Burnet, was the daughter of General Nathaniel McLean, while his father, Henry A. V. Post, was an engineer and sharpshooter during the American Civil War. Known affectionately as Van Zo, he pursued civil engineering at the Columbia College School of Mines, graduating in eighteen eighty-nine.

Post's military service began shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish–American War when he joined the 12th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army, serving from May second to December twenty-second in eighteen ninety-eight, ultimately achieving the rank of captain. His athletic prowess shone brightly at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, where he earned two gold medals in the singlestick and team foil competitions, a silver in individual foil, and two bronze medals in individual épée and individual sabre. Interestingly, despite being American, he was listed as representing Cuba during the games.

Eight years later, at the Stockholm Olympics in nineteen twelve, Post reached the quarterfinals in individual foil, individual épée, and individual sabre, although he did not advance beyond the first round in the team épée competition. Beyond his athletic achievements, he was also a talented author, having penned the novels Retz in nineteen oh eight and Diana Ardway in nineteen thirteen, the latter of which was adapted into the silent comedy Satan Junior in nineteen nineteen.

In his later years, Post married educator Meta Louise Anderson in nineteen thirty-three at the age of sixty-five. He passed away in New York City in nineteen thirty-eight, leaving behind a legacy of both athletic and literary accomplishments.