Sport: Figure Skating Inducted: 1981 Country: Canada Born: September 23, 1861 in Montreal,
Canada Died: January 1931
In 1890,
Louis Rubenstein won the gold medal in the first World Figure
Skating Championships. The unofficial championships (no federation
yet existed) were held in St. Petersburg, Russia, where organizers
first tried to prevent the Jewish skater from participating
and later tried to deny his victory.
Rubenstein was North America’s first famous figure skater,
winning Canadian championships from 1883 to 1889, the
North American crown in 1885, and U.S. titles in 1888, 1889,
and 1891.
He was a career sportsman. After retiring from active
skating, Rubenstein held the presidency of various Canadian
organizations representing tenpin bowling, curling, bicycling,
tobogganing, lifesaving, and ice skating. He is called
the Father of Bowling in Canada.
