George Herbert Sheldon (May 17, 1874 – November 25, 1907) was an American diver who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics and won the inaugural platform diving competition.

[1] In the 1904 Olympics he won the gold medal in platform diving but faced controversy as his victory was contested by the Germans.

It was not until a week later that the Games director James E. Sullivan rejected the protests and declared Sheldon the winner.

[2][4] A year later in 1905, Sheldon won the National AAU diving championships, which was the first using the diving rule book and allowed international divers, however he was prevented from trying to regain the title due to his heart problems while training.

[2] On November 25, 1907, aged just 33 years old Sheldon died in his home city of St Louis due to a heart lesion.