Léon de Janzé

Léon Frédéric de Janzé (26 February 1848 – 21 November 1911) was a French sports leader and politician who served as the president of the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques from 1894 until 1898, as well as the president of the first Olympic Congress in 1894.

Early and personal life Vicomte Léon Frédéric de Janzé (Some sources wrongly state that his full name is François Louis Léon de Janzé.)

Political career Owner of a castle in Parfondeval, Aisne, Janzé was elected general councilor of Seine-Maritime in 1886, a position that he held for 24 years, until he died in 1910, and at some point, he was also a mayor of Saint-Pierre-des-Jonquières.

Sporting career A sports lover, especially tennis, Janzé founded the Société sportive de l' Île de Puteaux in 1886, being then elected as its first president, and under his management, this society built the very first regular asphalt tennis courts in the Paris region, near the Pont de Neuilly, which was frequented by high society and Americans eager to play their favorite sport. This court was built on a piece of land that belonged to Baron Henri de Rothschild, who rented it to the Société de Puteaux until it became their property in 1895.

In July 1891, Janzé succeeded Georges de Saint-Clair as the new president of the USFSA, but he was then replaced just a few months later by Michel Gondinet, who himself also only lasted a year, as Janzé replaced him in 1892. In November of that year, the USFSA celebrated its 5th anniversary with a "sports festival" that included a conference in Sorbonne convened by Pierre Coubertin, who for the first time publicly proposed the revival of the Olympic Games; the USFSA president Janzé was present in this historic conference. In early 1893, he was replaced by Adolphe de Pallissaux, but he eventually returned to the presidency of the USFSA for a third time in 1894, and this time he held that position for four years, until 1898, when he was replaced by Paul Escudier.