in office between 1946 and 1976
Born David Cecil into an aristocratic family neat Stamford on February 9, 1905, he famously won the 1928 Olympic Games 400m hurdles gold medal in an Olympic record in 53.4. In 1931, he was elected as a Conservative Party member of the British Parliament, a position he kept for 12 years, although he was given leave of absence to compete at the 1932 Olympic Games.
He was also head of England's Amateur Athletic Association from 1936 to 1976. After service during World War II as the governor of Bermuda, Burghley was an instrumental part of the organisation of the 1948 Olympic Games in London.
Among Lord Burghley's many significant achievements were assisting the admission of the Soviet Union into international sporting bodies after World War II and dealing with the difficult issue of a divided Germany. Under Burghley - although he was also officially known as the 6th Marquess of Exeter after the death of his father in 1956 - athletics also enhanced its position within the Olympic movement and strengthened its financial position from the distribution of International Olympic Committee television revenues.
However, his final years as IAAF president before standing down in 1976 were turbulent, with many countries outside Europe were clamouring for a greater say in the decision making of the Federation. He died on October 22, 1981.