Manfred Toeppen

1904 St. Louis Olympics In the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, Toeppen was awarded a bronze medal in the men's water polo competition as a member of the Missouri Athletic Club water polo team.

The 1904 Olympic Water Polo contest was held at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair on September 5–6, at the Life Saving Exhibition Lake. In Olympic competition, the Missouri Athletic Club water polo team placed third to the gold medal-winning team from America's New York Athletic Club, and the silver medal team from America's Chicago Athletic Association. Besides Toeppen, the Missouri Athletic Club's full water polo team included Gwynne Evans, Gus Goessling, John Meyers, Bill Orthwein, and Frank Schreiner. In the Water Polo tournaments first round, the New York Athletic Club team soundly defeated Toeppen's Missouri Athletic Club team by a score of 5–0 on September 5. In the final round, the New York Athletic Club defeated the Chicago Athletic Association Club by a score of 6–0 on September 6.

A multi-stroke competitor, Toeppen took third place in a 150-yard backstroke event at the AAU National Indoor Swimming Championships at the New York Athletic Club in Mid-February 1906. In a game between the Missouri Athletic Club and the New York Athletic Club on March 24, 1906, the Missouri Athletic Club team fell to the New York Athletic Club's stronger players by a score of 6-1 with Toeppen scoring a goal and playing left forward.

Attempting distance open water swimming while representing the Missouri Athletic Club, Toeppen entered and finished the three and one-half mile swim in the Mississippi from Alton, Illinois to the Illini Yacht Club, in June, 1906, though he suffered afterward from setting a very fast pace.

Washington University As Manfred Kurt Washington Toeppen, he attended Washington University in St. Louis, receiving a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering in June, 1908, shortly before his 21st birthday. Toeppen competed in wrestling during his time at the University, and was described as "one of the best wrestlers at the University". He participated in a wrestling contest described as a wrestling championship of Washington University scheduled for March, 1906, and was also scheduled to compete in an intramural handball competition. It was noted that his weight in February, 1906 was around 170 pounds. Toeppen competed for Washington University's football team, and was scheduled to play in a football game for Washington on November 2, 1907, against highly favored St. Louis University, in the position of left guard, at a recorded weight of 185. With Washington University clearly outmatched, St. Louis won the game 78-0.

Toeppen retired from active participation as a competitive water polo player with the Missouri Athletic Club around October, 1910, but competed with the club sporadically as a swimmer and diver at least through 1912, though primarily in local club meets. Subsequent to 1907, Toeppen was coached for a period at the Missouri Athletic Club in water polo and swimming by Englishman John Robinson, a USA Water Polo Hall of Fame inductee. Toeppen was scheduled to compete in a meet sponsored by the Missouri Club at the Crystal Natatorium in a diving event in March, 1911.

Marriage Toeppen was married to Alice (Bornmueller) Toeppen, receiving a marriage license in December 1912, according to St. Louis's German newspaper Amerika and the St. Louis Star. They had a child.

Engineering career After obtaining an Electrical Engineering degree from Washington University, and ending his elite athletic career, he served as a consulting engineer with public utilities. Around 1925, Toeppen worked for the Commission for the Michigan State Public Utilities, testifying on regulations for rates and evaluating rates during hearings addressing regulations. Toeppen, appearing in print as Manfred K. Toeppen, worked with the Federal Communications Commission, beginning in 1935. In 1937, he was named head of the Communications Property Division. Around the mid-50's Toeppen consulted for the Motion Picture Association in California, conducting a cost analysis of broadcasting movies on television which was submitted to the FCC. The study included suggested frequencies on which to broadcast. Around the mid-50's, Toeppen relocated to California.

Toeppen died in Los Angeles, California on July 18, 1968 at the age of 80.