Introduction
Baron Gerhard Rudolf Viktor von Hessert (August 18, 1906 – September 22, 1994) was a German bobsledder who competed in the early 1930s.
Family
Von Hessert was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, the youngest of four siblings, in a family with political ties in Hesse. His uncle was first district attorney in Darmstadt. His great-grandfather Dr. Franz Ferdinand von Hessert was leibarzt to Ludwig I and a vaccination pioneer. Dr. von Hessert conducted in the early 1800s the first cowpox inoculation trials in Hesse after Edward Jenner's vaccination advancements in England.
Early life
Most of his childhood was spent in constant move due to the nature of his father's mining business. He attended Darmstadt University and moved to New York in 1929 after making the journey aboard the RMS Franconia.
1932 Winter Olympics
Gerhard von Hessert and his team finished seventh and last in the four-man event at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Germany was conferred overall the bronze medal, same as in the 1928 Games. The event was won by the United States.
Personal life
He married Cornelia Fitch Baekeland, granddaughter of Leo Baekeland, the inventor of Bakelite, in 1939. His wife had a minor role as an actress in the 1944 Rita Hayworth classic Cover Girl.