George W. Strawbridge, Jr.

Infobox_Person
name = George Strawbridge, Jr.


imagesize =
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birth_date = birth date and age|1937|10|10
birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
death_date =
death_place =
resting_place =
residence = Cochranville, Pennsylvania
education = Trinity College, University of Pennsylvania
occupation = Educator, historian, investor, sportsman
party = Republican
spouse = Nina S. Strawbridge
children = George III, Andrew, Stewart
parents = George W. Strawbridge, Sr. (1909-1990) &
Margaret Winifred Dorrance (1915-1953)
religion =

George W. Strawbridge, Jr. B.A., M.A. Ph.D. (born October 10, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American educator, historian, investor, sportsman, and philanthropist.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania he was the son of Margaret ("Peggy") Dorrance and stockbroker George W. Strawbridge, Sr.. He studied at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where he earned a Bachelor's degree. He furthered his studies at the University of Pennsylvania where he specialized in Latin American history and politics, earning a Master's degree and his Doctorate. For a time, Strawbridge was an adjunct professor at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania where he remains a member of its Board of Trustees.

Campbell Soup Company

George Strawbridge, Jr.'s mother was the daughter of Dr. John Thompson Dorrance, owner of the Campbell Soup Company. On her father's passing she inherited a significant interest in the company. George Strawbridge, Jr. has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Campbell Soup Company since 1988, filling the vacancy left by his ailing father who passed away in 1990. He has served as a member of the company's Audit Committee and a member of the Finance & Corporate Development Committee.

Investments

George Strawbridge, Jr. joined the board of Directors of the Delaware Trust Company in December of 1978. In May of 1987 Delaware Trust was taken over by Meridian Bancorp Inc., at the time Pennsylvania's fifth-largest bank holding company. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEEDC1530F931A15756C0A961948260] In the fall of 1995, CoreStates Financial Corporation acquired Meridian Bancorp for $3.2 billion, and Strawbridge became the largest individual shareholder in Corestates Financial Corporation and was named to its Board of Directors. In April of 1998, CoreStates Financial Corporation merged with First Union Corporation in the largest merger at the time in the history of American banking. Later, First Union merged with Wachovia Corporation.

Buffalo Sabres

George Strawbridge, Jr. was an active shareholder and director of the Buffalo Sabres NHL ice hockey club and a member of the team's executive committee for more than thirty years. In 2004, he was inducted in the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame. [http://www.sabresalumni.com/history/halloffame.php] According to WGR 550 sports radio in Buffalo, New York, "In the 1990s, Strawbridge expanded revenue streams and played a leading role in producing new capital for the franchise. When illness and other factors forced the Knox family to limit their involvement, it was Strawbridge's commitment to Buffalo hockey that helped keep the Sabres alive."

Augustin Stable

George Strawbridge, Jr. acquired acreage in the Brandywine Valley in southeastern Pennsylvania and established Augustin Stable as his breeding and racing operation for both steeplechase and flat racing. He and his wife make their home in Cochranville near their Derry Meeting Farm. Active in the National Steeplechase Association (NSA), George Strawbridge has served as its president, chairman, and chairman emeritus and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Steeplechase Museum in Camden, South Carolina. [http://www.nationalsteeplechasemuseum.org/about.php] The all-time leading money-winning steeplechase owner in the United States, in 1979 the NSA honored him with their F. Ambrose Clark Award given to someone "who has done the most to promote, improve and encourage the growth of steeplechasing in America."

Since 1976, George Strawbridge has been a member of The Jockey Club and along with Ogden Mills Phipps, is one of only two Americans to be members the Jockey Club of Canada. Strawbridge also sits on the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

His Thoroughbreds compete in flat racing across North America and in Europe. He bred many of the horses that he raced. His notable runners includes:

teeplechase racing

* Cafe Prince (b. 1970) - United States Champion Steeplechaser (1977, 1978). Inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1985.

Flat racing

* Treizieme (b. 1981) - In France, won G1 Grand Critérium
* Silver Fling (b. 1985) - won G1 Prix de l'Abbaye
* Turgeon (b. 1986) - named for Buffalo Sabres player Pierre Turgeon. Raced in Europe where he won Group One races in France and Ireland.
* Tikkanen (b. 1991) - named for another Buffalo Sabres player, Esa Tikkanen. Wins included the 1994 Turf Classic and Breeders' Cup Turf.
* With Anticipation (b. 1995) - in USA won the 2002 United Nations Stakes and back-to-back runnings of the Man o' War Stakes in 2001-2002.
* Montare (b. 2002) - multiple stakes winner in France including the G1 Prix Royal-Oak
* Lucarno (b. 2004) - in England, won the 2007 St. Leger Stakes, one of the British Classic Races.

As a breeder

* Selkirk (b. 1988) - won G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Champion Miler of Europe in 1991 and 1992. Champion 3-year-old colt and older male in England. Champion older male in France. Retired to stud, in 2006 he was the leading British sire of European Group/Stakes winners.
*Collier Hill (b. - won major races in Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Canada, and Hong Kong.

George Strawbridge, Jr. is a first cousin to Charlotte C. Weber, the daughter of Ethel M. Dorrance and her husband Tristram Coffin Colket. Ms. Weber is also involved in Thoroughbred breeding and racing as the owner of the prominent Live Oak Stud in Ocala, Florida. [http://www.liveoakstud.com/images/liveoakstud.com/home.aspx?contentname=home%20page&news=1]

Philanthropy

George Strawbridge, Jr. and his wife support a variety of causes including environmental, medical, and cultural institutions. Among them, he gifted $2 million to create the Margaret Dorrance Strawbridge Foundation Translational Cancer Research Endowment at the Lucille P. Markey Cancer Center in Lexington, Kentucky. [http://www.uky.edu/Development/dcs/campaign/thecallarchive/Call_2006_Fall.pdf]

He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Winterthur Museum near Greenville, Delaware .

References

* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E5DF163BF93AA25752C1A961958260 November 19, 1997 New York Times article on George Strawbridge, Jr.]
* [http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=1924 George Strawbridge, Jr. at the NTRA]