Frances Schroth

Marriage to George Schroth

In October 1918, Frances Cowells married George Schroth Jr., an American Olympic bronze medalist in water polo and a member of the U.S. men's Olympic swimming team. The couple separated in August 1925, and Frances sought divorce in Alameda, California, alleging that her husband and his father compelled her to continue swimming and work as a sports journalist against her will. She requested alimony, legal fees, and custody of their son George, born in 1921. The divorce was finalized in December 1925 with a property settlement instead of alimony, and their son was temporarily placed with her mother.

1920 Antwerp Olympics

Schroth won a gold medal in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay alongside Margaret Woodbridge, Irene Guest, and Ethelda Bleibtrey, setting a world record of 5:11.6 in the final. Individually, she earned bronze medals in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 1:17.2 and in the 300-meter freestyle with a time of 4:52.0.

1924 Paris Olympics

At the 1924 Olympic trials in Indianapolis, Schroth finished third in the 100-meter backstroke, qualifying as an alternate for the event. She attended the Paris Olympics at age 31 but did not compete. Her world record in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, set on August 29, 1920, stood until July 20, 1924.

In 1925, she assisted in coaching junior backstroke champion Edith Bradley and 15-year-old Eleanor Garatti at the National Swimming Championship in Florida. Schroth later attempted to qualify for the women's Pebble Beach Championship in golf in 1926, worked as an artist with cat drawings featured in the San Francisco Examiner in 1929, and competed in chess tournaments, placing second in Sonoma, California in June 1952. Her dachshund was entered at the Oakland Kennel Club in September 1936.