William Woodward Sr.

William Woodward Sr.
Born William Woodward
April 7, 1876[1]
New York, New York[1]
Died September 25, 1953(1953-09-25) (aged 77)[1]
New York, New York[1]
Residence New York, New York
Collington, Maryland
Rhode Island
Nationality United States
Education Cutler
Groton
Harvard, B.A., Master's, Law[1]
Occupation Banker
Employer Hanover National Bank[1]
Known for President of Hanover National Bank
Owner of Belair Mansion and Belair Stud[1]
Board member of Hanover National Bank
St. John's College[1]
Spouse(s) Elsie Ogden Cryder[1]
Children Edith Woodward Bancroft
Ethel Woodward deCroisset[2]
Elizabeth Woodward Cushing
Sarah Woodward Sewall
William Woodward Jr.
Parent(s) William Woodward
Sarah Abagail Rodman[1]

William Woodward Sr. (April 7, 1876 – September 25, 1953) was an American banker and major owner and breeder in thoroughbred horse racing.

Background

Born in New York City to William Woodward and Sarah Abagail Rodman, William came from a prominent and wealthy Maryland family that dates back to colonial times.[3] The family made their fortune in selling textiles to the Confederate government,[4] and his father was the founder of the New York Cotton Exchange.[3]

He studied at Groton and at Harvard, graduating in 1898, and Harvard Law School in 1901.[3][5] In 1901, he was admitted to the bar.[4]

Career

For the next two years Woodward lived in London, UK where he served as secretary to the United States ambassador to Britain, Joseph Choate.[5] There, he joined with other members of the political and economic elite including King Edward VII, at fashionable events including thoroughbred horse races,[5] the favorite pastime of English royalty and nobility.

Upon his return to New York in 1903, Woodward was made vice president of Hanover National Bank in New York City by his uncle, James T. Woodward, who was then president of the bank.[4] William Woodward Sr.'s father had helped James purchase a large portion of the bank years earlier before his death.[6]

In 1903, William Woodward met Elsie Ogden Cryder at Saratoga, New York,[4] and they were married at Grace Church in New York on October 24, 1904.[7] They had a son, William Woodward Jr., and four daughters.[1]

Following his uncle's death, William Woodward Sr. became president of the bank in 1910, serving in that capacity until a 1929 merger when he was appointed chairman of the new corporate entity called Central Hanover Bank & Trust.[4] William Woodward inherited a controlling interest in Hanover National Bank plus the historic Belair Mansion and Stud in Collington, Maryland.

Belair and thoroughbred racing

Belair is a very historic estate where Colonial Governor of Maryland, Samuel Ogle had brought the first thoroughbred horses imported to America from England in 1747.[8] James T. Woodward acquired it in 1898 for an undisclosed sum of money.[9] William Woodward built the Belair Stud into one of the dominant breeding and thoroughbred horse racing operations in the United States during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.

In 1925, Woodward joined Arthur B. Hancock to import the stallion Sir Gallahad into the United States to stand at Claiborne Farm. Sir Gallahad would become the four-time leading sire in North America and would sire 60 stakes winners, including nine for Woodward. Sir Gallahad's most famous offspring was Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox, who would in turn sire Triple Crown winner Omaha, both bred and raced by Woodward.[10]

Horses bred by Belair won every major Stakes race in the U.S.as well as the Epsom Oaks, St. Leger Stakes, 1,000 Guineas, and other important races in Britain. Woodward's accomplishments in horse racing led to him making the August 7, 1939 cover of Time magazine.

Woodward was elected to the United States Jockey Club in 1917 and served as its chairman from 1930 until 1950. One of the main efforts he pursued was the repeal of the Jersey Act, a regulation of the British Thoroughbred stud book that prevented most American-bred Thoroughbreds from being registered in the United Kingdom as purebred Thoroughbreds.[11]

In 1950, Woodward was elected an honorary member of the British Jockey Club.

Legacy

He died in 1953, aged 77, leaving the estate to his son, William Woodward Jr., whose untimely death a few years later in 1955 saw the end of Belair Stud.

Today the Belair Stable Museum in Bowie, Maryland, highlights the work of William Woodward Sr. and others connected to the Belair Stud.

The Woodward Stakes, a Grade I event now run at Saratoga, is named in his honor.[12]

In 2016, Woodward was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame as a Pillar of the Turf.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Baltz, Shirley Vlasak (2005). Belair From the Beginning. Bowie, Maryland: City of Bowie Museums. pp. 118–128.
  2. ↑ "Elsie C. Woodward, Philanthropist, dies at 98". New York Times. July 14, 1981. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Warfield, Joshua Dorsey (July 1905). The Founders of Anne Arundel And Howard Counties, Maryland. Baltimore, Maryland: Kohn & Pollock. pp. 123–125. ISBN 0-8063-7971-5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Bowen, Edward L. (2003). Legacies of the Turf: A Century of Great Thoroughbred Breeders. Eclipse Press. pp. 73–76. ISBN 1-58150-102-1.
  5. 1 2 3 Heckman, Lucy (2004). Damascus: Thoroughbred Legends. Eclipse Press. p. 11. ISBN 1-58150-111-0.
  6. ↑ "James T. Woodward, The Banker, Is Dead" (PDF). The New York Times. April 11, 1910. p. 1.
  7. ↑ "A Day's Weddings: Woodward Cryder". New York Times. October 25, 1904. p. 9.
  8. ↑ Baltz, Shirley Vlasak (1984). A Chronicle of Belair. Bowie, Maryland: Bowie Heritage Committee. pp. 14–19. LCCN 85165028.
  9. ↑ Baltz, Shirley Vlasak (1984). A Chronicle of Belair. Bowie, Maryland: Bowie Heritage Committee. pp. 70–73. LCCN 85165028.
  10. 1 2 "Woodward, Hancock to Racing Hall of Fame". bloodhorse.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  11. ↑ Sparkman, John P. (2009-09-30). "Errors that need to be righted". Thoroughbred Times. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  12. ↑ "Ten Things You Should Know: Woodward Stakes". breederscup.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.