William Knapp Thorn
William Knapp Thorn, Jr. (1848 – November 16, 1910) was an American champion polo player and the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt.[1][2] Also, he was a hunter and horse-rider.[2] He was one of the best-known sportsmen in the United States and France.[2]
Biography
He was born in 1848 to Emily Almira Vanderbilt Thorn.[1]
He participated in the 1886 International Polo Cup with teammates Foxhall Parker Keene and Thomas Hitchcock, Sr.
He lived in Pau where he contribute to the developpment of cars and motorsport in the region. Je created the Automobile-club of Bearn which organise the first motor races in the southwest of France in 1899.
This race became the famous Pau Grand Prix which is still popular now.
He died in Pau, France on November 16, 1910.[1][2]
References
- ^ a b c "Grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt Found Dead at His Home in Pau". New York Times. November 17, 1910. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c d Horace A. Laffaye, The Evolution of Polo, Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2009, p. 27