Whitney family
The Whitney family is an American family notable for their social prominence, wealth, business enterprises and philanthropy.
Rise to prominence
The prominence of the Whitney family began with William Collins Whitney (1841-1904), a descendant of John Whitney (1592-1673), an English immigrant who settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. He was also a distant cousin of Eli Whitney[1]. William Collins Whitney was an extremely wealthy businessman who made the Whitney name synonymous with thoroughbred horse racing in the United States.
Horse racing
The Whitney Handicap at Saratoga 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 the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Members of the family also maintained stables and breeding facilities in Newmarket, Suffolk County in the United Kingdom where they won important races including the prestigious Epsom Derby.
A number of Whitney family members were owners of thoroughbred racing operations under various names including Greentree Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Today, Whitney family members remain involved with horse racing, notably in 2004 when Marylou Whitney apologized on national television for denying Smarty Jones the U.S. Triple Crown after her colt Birdstone won the Belmont Stakes.
Other endeavors
In addition to horse racing, a number of Whitney family members were important financiers and business owners, statesmen, philanthropists. Joan Whitney Payson, an avid sportswoman, was the first owner of the New York Mets Major League Baseball team from its founding in 1962 until her death in 1975. The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City was founded by a Whitney-by-marriage.
Prominent Whitneys
- Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (1899-1992)
- Dorothy Payne Whitney (1887-1968)
- Flora Payne Whitney (1897-1986)
- Harry Payne Whitney (1872-1930)
- 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
- Whitney Research Group - dedicated to the scholarly research of Whitney families around the world and throughout history.