- Whitney family
The Whitney family is an American family notable for their social prominence, wealth, business enterprises and philanthropy founded by John Whitney (1592-1673) who came from
London ,England toWatertown, Massachusetts in 1635. There are a number of very prominent members of this family including inventorEli Whitney . [http://www.whitneygen.org/archives/biography/eliancestry.html] .The New York Whitneys
Rise to prominence
The prominence of the New York branch of the Whitney family began with
William Collins Whitney (1841-1904). Born inConway, Massachusetts , he was a younger brother toBoston industrialistHenry Melville Whitney (1839-1923). William Collins Whitney became an extremely wealthy businessman who made the Whitney name synonymous withthoroughbred horse racing in theUnited States .Horse racing
The
Whitney Handicap atSaratoga Race Course is named in the family's honor. Whitney-owned horses have won every major race in the United States including multiple wins at theKentucky Derby ,Preakness Stakes , and theBelmont Stakes . Members of the family also maintained stables and breeding facilities in Newmarket (inSuffolk ,United Kingdom ), where they won important races including the prestigiousEpsom Derby .A number of the New York Whitney family members were owners of thoroughbred racing operations under various names including
Greentree Farm inLexington, Kentucky . Today, Whitney family members remain involved with horse racing, notably in 2004 whenMarylou Whitney apologized on national television for denyingSmarty Jones the U.S. Triple Crown after her coltBirdstone won theBelmont Stakes .Other endeavors
In addition to horse racing, a number of Whitney family members were important financiers and business owners, statesmen,
philanthropist s.Joan Whitney Payson , an avid sportswoman, was the first owner of the New York MetsMajor League Baseball team from its founding in 1962 until her death in 1975. TheWhitney Museum of American Art inNew York City was founded by a Whitney-by-marriage,Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney .Prominent descendants of John Whitney
*
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (1899-1992)
*Dorothy Payne Whitney (1887-1968)
*Eli Whitney (1765-1825)
*Flora Payne Whitney (1897-1986)
*Harry Payne Whitney (1872-1930)
*Henry Melville Whitney (1839-1923)
*Henry Mitchell Whitney (1843-1911)
*Joan Whitney Payson (1903-1975)
*John Hay Whitney (1905-1982)
*Pauline Payne Whitney (1874-1916)
*Payne Whitney (1876-1927)
*William Collins Whitney (1841-1904)By marriage:
*Mary Elizabeth Altemus (1906-1988)
*Betsey Cushing (1908-1998)
*Leonard K. Elmhirst (1893-1974)
*Marie Louise Schroeder (b. 1925)
*Willard Dickerman Straight (1880-1918)
*Gertrude Vanderbilt (1875-1942)External links
* [http://wiki.whitneygen.org Whitney Research Group] - dedicated to the scholarly research of Whitney families around the world and throughout history.
* [http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/racinghub/archive/2008/07/25/the-whitney-handicap-a-look-at-a-treasured-american-family.aspx 25 Jul 2008 "Bloodhorse.com" article titled "The Whitney Handic]
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