Harry Payne Whitney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harry Payne Whitney
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Whitney in February 1924
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| Born | April 29, 1872 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | October 26, 1930 (aged 58) Portland, Maine, U.S.
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| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery, The Bronx, New York |
| Education | Groton School |
| Alma mater | Yale University Columbia Law School |
| Occupation | Businessman, racehorse owner/breeder, philanthropist |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Board member of | Long Island Motor Parkway Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Co. |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Flora, Cornelius, and Barbara |
| Parent(s) | William Collins Whitney Flora Payne |
| Family | Whitney |
| Honors | Pillars of the Turf (2018) U.S. Polo Hall of Fame (1990) |
Harry Payne Whitney (born April 29, 1872 – died October 26, 1930) was a famous American businessman. He was also a top horse breeder of thoroughbred horses. Harry was a member of the well-known Whitney family.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Harry Payne Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872. He was the oldest son of Flora Payne and William C. Whitney. His father was a very rich businessman. He also served as the United States Secretary of the Navy.
Harry went to Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts. After that, he studied at Yale University and finished in 1894. He was part of a secret society called Skull and Bones. Then, he spent two years at Columbia Law School. However, he decided not to finish law school. Instead, he chose to work in sports and business.
When his father passed away in 1904, Harry inherited a large amount of money. Later, in 1917, he inherited even more money from his uncle, Oliver Hazard Payne.
Sporting Achievements
Harry Payne Whitney loved sports. He was a very skilled polo player, known as a "ten-goal" player. This is the highest rating in polo. He got his love for polo from his father. His father was involved when polo first started in the United States in 1876.
In 1909, Harry organized the U.S. polo team. This team went on to beat England in a major match. A polo field near Saratoga Springs, New York, called "Whitney Field," is named after him.
Harry was also on the board of the Montauk Yacht Club. He raced his yacht, the Vanitie, in the famous America's Cup competition. He also helped manage the Long Island Motor Parkway. This road was built by his wife's cousin, William Kissam Vanderbilt II.
Harry enjoyed quail hunting. He bought a large piece of land in Leon County, Florida, for this hobby.
Thoroughbred Horse Racing
Harry Whitney was a very important person in Thoroughbred racing. In 2018, he was honored as one of the "Pillars of the Turf." This is a very special award from the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Harry inherited a big stable of horses from his father. This included a great female horse named Artful. He also got her father, Hamburg. In 1915, Harry started his own horse breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. There, he created a special type of American polo pony. He did this by breeding American Quarter Horse stallions with his thoroughbred mares.
Harry was the top horse owner in the United States eight times. He also bred almost 200 horses that won important stakes races. His main breeding horse was first Hamburg, then the famous Broomstick. One of his horses, Whisk Broom II, raced in England. When he was six, he came back to the U.S. and won the New York Handicap Triple. Harry also owned Upset. This horse was the only one to ever beat the legendary Man o' War.
Harry Whitney had 19 horses race in the Kentucky Derby. He won the race for the first time in 1915 with Regret. She was a female horse (filly) and the first filly ever to win the Kentucky Derby. Regret was named Horse of the Year and is in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Harry won the Kentucky Derby again in 1927 with a male horse (colt) named Whiskery.
His record of six wins in the Preakness Stakes was the most by any breeder for a long time. Harry's colt Burgomaster won the 1906 Belmont Stakes. He was also named Horse of the Year. Harry's breeding farm produced many other great horses, like Equipoise and Johren.
Harry Whitney's horses won these major U.S. races:
- Kentucky Derby:
- 1915 : Regret (a filly who was Horse of the Year)
- 1927 : Whiskery
- Preakness Stakes:
- 1908 : Royal Tourist
- 1913 : Buskin
- 1914 : Holiday
- 1921 : Broomspun
- 1927 : Bostonian
- 1928 : Victorian
- Belmont Stakes:
- 1905 : Tanya (a filly)
- 1906 : Burgomaster (who was Horse of the Year)
- 1913 : Prince Eugene
- 1918 : Johren
His horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky, was later passed down to his son, C.V. Whitney. It became part of Gainesway Farm in 1989.
Personal Life and Family
On August 25, 1896, Harry married Gertrude Vanderbilt. She was also from a very rich family, the Vanderbilt family. In New York City, they lived in beautiful houses. They also had a country home in Westbury, Long Island.
Harry and Gertrude had three children:
- Flora Payne Whitney (1897-1986)
- Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (1899-1992)
- Barbara Vanderbilt Whitney (1903-1982)
Harry Whitney passed away in 1930 when he was 58 years old. He and his wife are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.
Philanthropy and Legacy
Harry Payne Whitney was a philanthropist. This means he gave money to many organizations to help others. In 1920, he paid for the Whitney South Seas Expedition. This was a big trip by the American Museum of Natural History. Scientists and naturalists went to thousands of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They studied plants and birds there.
After he passed away, a collection of sports art was given to the Yale University Art Gallery in his memory. It is called the Whitney Collection of Sporting Art.
