Alex Decoteau

{{short description|Canadian long-distance runner}} {{Infobox sportsperson | honorific_prefix = | name = | honorific_suffix = | image = Alex Decoteau.jpg | image_size =  | alt = Portrait of Alex Decoteau as a representative of Alberta for the 1912 Olympic Games. | caption = Alex Decoteau (1912) | headercolor = | textcolor = |  | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = | full_name = | nickname = | nationality = Cree Canadian | national_team =  | ethnicity = | citizenship = | birth_date = {{birth date|1887|11|19}} | birth_place = Red Pheasant First Nation, District of Saskatchewan | death_date = {{death date and age|1917|10|30|1887|11|19}} | death_place = Passchendaele salient, Belgium | resting_place = Passchendaele New British Cemetery | resting_place_coordinates = | monuments = | residence = | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = | years_active = | employer = | agent = | height = 5 ft 10 in<ref name="LAC100Stories" /> | weight = 160 lb<ref name="LAC100Stories" /> | spouse = | life_partner = | other_interests = | website =  | module = |  | country = | sport = Track and field | position = | disability = | disability_class = | weight_class = | weight_class_type = | rank = | event = | event_type = | universityteam = | collegeteam = | league = | league_type = | club = | team = | turnedpro = | turnedpro_type = | partner = | former_partner = | coach = | retired = | coaching = | module2 = |  | worlds = | regionals = | nationals = | olympics = | paralympics = | commonwealth = | highestranking = | pb = |  | show-medals = | medaltemplates = | medaltemplates-title = | module3 = | updated = 7 May 2017 }}

'''Alexander Wuttunee Decoteau''' (November 19, 1887 – October 30, 1917), was a Cree Canadian track and field athlete, police officer and soldier. A member of the Red Pheasant First Nation, he joined the Edmonton Police in 1911 becoming the first Indigenous police officer in Canada. Decoteau was known for his athletic ability and his achievements in running. A holder of numerous long-distance records in Western Canada, he represented Canada in the 5,000 meters event at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Decoteau joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in April 1915 and died on October 30, 1917, during the Second Battle of Passchendaele.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/66016 |title=Alex Decoteau |work=Olympedia |access-date=19 April 2021}}</ref>

==Biography== Decoteau was born on the Red Pheasant Indian Reserve in the District of Saskatchewan on November 19, 1887. One of five children, he was the son of Peter Decoteau, who was Métis and Marie Wuttanee, who was Cree.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/11/10/indigenous-olympian-killed-at-passchendaele-remains-an-inspiration-to-canadians.html|title=Indigenous Olympian killed at Passchendaele remains an inspiration to Canadians|last=Coyle|first=Jim|date=2017-11-10|work=The Toronto Star|access-date=2017-11-22|language=en-CA|issn=0319-0781}}</ref> His father, who fought alongside Plains Cree Chief Poundmaker at Battle of Cut Knife in 1885, was an employee of the Indian Department when he was murdered in 1891.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mottershead |first=Izola |title=before - Alex Decoteau - after |publisher=Izola Mottershead |year=2004 |location=Edmonton, Alberta |pages=21-22}}</ref> With no way to support the family, Decoteau's mother arranged to have the children admitted to the Battleford Industrial School. It was as a student at the school that he first demonstrated an aptitude for athletics.<ref name="Herzog">{{cite web|last1=Herzog|first1=Lawrence|title=Alex Decoteau's Inspiring Run at Life|url=http://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2015/01/20/alex-decoteaus-inspiring-run-at-life/|website=Edmonton City As Museum Project|publisher=Edmonton Heritage Council|accessdate=7 May 2017|date=2015}}</ref><ref name="WWAV">{{cite web|title=Decoteau, Alexander|url=http://av.canadiana.ca/en/veteran/1324|website=World Wars Aboriginal Veterans|publisher=Canadiana|accessdate=7 May 2017|language=en|date=2017}}</ref>

Decoteau worked as a farm-hand prior to moving to Edmonton where he worked for his brother in law David Latta as a blacksmith.<ref name="Dempsey" /><ref name=AlexDecoteau>{{cite web | url=http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/documents/DecoteauPkg.pdf#search=decoteau | title=Alexander Decoteau (1887–1917) | publisher=City of Edmonton | date=May 2013 | accessdate=December 21, 2014}}</ref> His sister Emily and Latta, a business man and one-time Edmonton alderman, had married in 1899 and Decoteau initially lived with the couple upon his arrival to the city.<ref name="WWAV" /> In 1911 he was hired as a constable by the Edmonton Police, where he served as Canada's first Indigenous officer and was among the city's first motorcycle officers.<ref name="AlexDecoteau" /><ref name="Thompson">{{cite web|last1=Thompson|first1=Christian|title=The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan|url=http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/decoteau_alex_1887-1917.html|website=Encyclopedia Of Saskatchewan|publisher=University of Saskatchewan|accessdate=7 May 2017}}</ref> Decoteau was promoted to sergeant in 1914.<ref name="Graney">{{cite news|last1=Graney|first1=Juris|title=Canada's first aboriginal police officer Alex Decoteau honoured with new Edmonton park|url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/canadas-first-aboriginal-police-officer-alex-decoteau-honoured-with-new-edmonton-park|accessdate=7 May 2017|work=Edmonton Journal|date=11 June 2016}}</ref>

===Running career=== While in Edmonton he won numerous western Canadian major middle- or long-distance races. He completed his first race on May 24, 1909, placing second in the one-mile competition.<ref name="Herzog" /><ref name="Thompson" /> He quickly followed the achievement by winning two five-mile races within six days of each other.<ref name="WWAV" /> The first win occurred at the Edmonton Exhibition, in June, which he completed with a time of 00:28:41. The second was the Mayberry Cup, which took place in Lloydminster on July 1, where he set a new Western record with a time of 00:27:45.<ref name="Herzog" /><ref name="Petten">{{cite web|last1=Petten|first1=Cheryl|title=Alex Decoteau|url=http://www.ammsa.com/node/6714|website=Aboriginal Multi-Media Society|publisher=Footprints|accessdate=7 May 2017|language=en}}</ref>

Decoteau competed in the 5,000 metre race at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, serving as the only representative from Alberta on the Canadian Olympic team.<ref name="ASHFM">{{cite web|title=Decoteau, Alex|url=http://ashfm.ca/hall-of-fame-honoured-members/browse/athlete/decoteau-alex|website=Alberta Sports Hall of Fame & Museum|publisher=Alberta Sports Hall of Fame & Museum|accessdate=7 May 2017}}{{Dead link|date=January 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref><ref name="WWAV" /> Finishing second in the first heat of the 5,000 metres competition, leg cramps impacted his performance in the final run, causing him to finish sixth, overall.<ref name="WWAV" /><ref name=olympicprofile>{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/alex-decouteau-1.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418062205/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/alex-decouteau-1.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 18, 2020 | title=Alex Decoteau | publisher=Sports Reference LLC | accessdate=December 21, 2014}}</ref>

===World War I=== Influenced by his father's involvement with the North-West Rebellion in 1885, Decoteau enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in April 1916.{{refn|group=nb|Decouteau's service identification number was 231462 and the date of attestation was April 24, 1916, at Edmonton, Alberta.<ref name=ServiceRecord>{{cite web|title=Alex Decoteau Service Record|url=http://data2.collectionscanada.gc.ca/cef/2001-3000/2464-04.pdf|website=Library and Archives Canada|publisher=Library and Archives Canada|accessdate=7 May 2017}}</ref>}} He first served with the 202nd Infantry Battalion before moving on to the 49th Battalion.<ref name=Dempsey>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Dempsey |first=James |author-link= |editor-last= |editor-first= |editor-link= |encyclopedia=Dictionary of Canadian Biography |title=DeCOTEAU (Decouteau), ALEXANDER |trans-title= |url= http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/decoteau_alexander_14E.html |access-date=7 May 2017 |language= |edition= |date=1998 |publisher=University of Toronto/Université Laval |series= |volume=14 |location= |id= |isbn= |oclc= |doi= |pages= }}</ref> Decoteau trained at the Sarcee military training camp, near Calgary, Alberta, from June to October 1916 before being set sail for England.<ref name="WWAV" /> He shipped from Halifax on November 24, 1916, aboard {{RMS|Mauretania|1906|6}}.<ref name="LAC100Stories">{{cite web|title=Alexander Decoteau|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/100-stories/Pages/decoteau.aspx|website=100 Stories|publisher=Library and Archives Canada|accessdate=7 May 2017|language=en|date=2016}}</ref>

Decoteau continued to run competitively while stationed abroad, participating in at least two military personnel athletic competitions.<ref name="Herzog" /> At an event in Salisbury, King George V awarded Decoteau his personal gold pocket watch as congratulations for winning a {{convert|5|mi|adj=on}} race.<ref name="AlexDecoteau" /><ref name="WWAV" /><ref name="LAC100Stories" /> On May 27, 1917, Decoteau was sent to France along with other reinforcements for the 49th Battalion.<ref name="LAC100Stories" /> While there, his athletic ability was put to use while he served as a communications trench runner.<ref name="WWAV" /><ref name="Petten" />

Decoteau was killed by a German sniper on the morning of October 30, 1917, during the Second Battle of Passchendaele and buried in Ypres.<ref name="WWAV" /><ref name="Dempsey" /> A common, but unsubstantiated, account of his death suggests that the German sniper stole the pocket watch that had been awarded by the King and that it was later recovered by his comrades, who ensured it was returned to his mother Dora.<ref name="VAC">{{cite web|title=Olympians 1900–1919|url=http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/olympics/1900-1919|website=Veterans Affairs Canada|publisher=Veterans Affairs Canada|accessdate=7 May 2017|language=en|date=2016}}</ref><ref name="Herzog" /><ref name="AlexDecoteau" /> In 1985, the Cree performed a ceremony in Edmonton "to bring his spirit home".<ref name=AlexDecoteau/> Honours were provided by the Red Pheasant Band, the Edmonton Police Service and the Canadian Army.<ref name="Petten" />

== Honours == Recognition of Decoteau's accomplishments is credited to the work of Edmonton police officer Sam Donaghey. After finding a newspaper clipping about Decoteau in 1966, Donaghey conducted research that led to Decoteau's induction into the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 1967 and, later, the Alberta Sport Hall of Fame in 2001.<ref name="Herzog" /> Decoteau's achievements have also been recognized through induction into Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Order of Sport, marking his induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sportshall.ca/stories.html?proID=558&catID=all&lang=EN|title=Canada's Sports Hall of Fame {{!}} Stories|website=www.sportshall.ca|access-date=2017-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107025912/http://www.sportshall.ca/stories.html?proID=558&catID=all&lang=EN|archive-date=2017-11-07|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="WWAV" /> The Edmonton Police Museum and Archives contains many of his personal and military trophies and awards.<ref name=AlexDecoteau/>

The City of Edmonton named both a park and a future residential area in Decoteau's honour in 2014. A park at the northwest corner of 105 Street and 102 Avenue in Downtown Edmonton was named Alex Decoteau Park on September 24, 2014.<ref name=park>{{cite web|url=http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/projects_redevelopment/105-street-and-102-avenue-park.aspx |title=Alex Decoteau Park |publisher=City of Edmonton |accessdate=December 21, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221093333/http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/projects_redevelopment/105-street-and-102-avenue-park.aspx |archivedate=December 21, 2014 }}</ref> A future residential area in southeast Edmonton was named Decoteau on October 28, 2014.<ref name=naming141028>{{cite web|url=http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/documents/Meeting_Minutes_08_October_28_2014.pdf |title=Naming Committee Meeting Minutes |publisher=City of Edmonton |page=2 |date=October 28, 2014 |accessdate=December 21, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221105718/http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/documents/Meeting_Minutes_08_October_28_2014.pdf |archivedate=December 21, 2014 }}</ref>

Alex Decoteau will be honoured in with a commemorative blue plaque in Flanders, Belgium, close to where he died. The plaque will be unveiled on Indigenous Veterans’ Day on 8 November 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovett-Squires |first=Julia |title=Red Pheasant Cree Nation veteran to be honoured in Belgium with commemorative plaque |url=https://larongenow.com/2024/02/09/red-pheasant-cree-nation-veteran-to-be-honoured-in-belgium-with-commemorative-plaque/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=larongeNOW |language=en}}</ref>

==Notes== {{reflist|group=nb}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} * ''[http://www.edukits.ca/decoteau/ Alex Decoteau Heritage Edukit]'' of the ''Heritage Community Foundation'' * {{Find a Grave|12100032}} * {{Canada's Sports Hall of Fame|new_id=alex_decoteau|id=558}} * {{Team Canada|alex-decoteau}} * {{Olympedia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decoteau, Alex}} Category:1887 births Category:1917 deaths Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics Category:Canadian Indigenous military personnel Category:Canadian men long-distance runners Category:Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Category:Canadian police officers Category:Cree sportspeople Category:First Nations sportspeople Category:Olympic track and field athletes for Canada Category:Sportspeople from Saskatchewan Category:Canadian military personnel from Saskatchewan Category:Red Pheasant Cree Nation