Helen Julia Hay Whitney (March 11, 1875 – September 24, 1944) was an American poet, writer, racehorse owner and breeder, socialite, and philanthropist. She was a member by marriage of the prominent Whitney family of New York.
Helen Hay Whitney | |
|---|---|
 Whitney photographed by Frances Benjamin Johnston | |
| Born | Helen Julia Hay March 11, 1875[1] United States |
| Died | September 24, 1944 (aged 69) New York City, United States |
| Occupations |
|
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Joan Whitney Payson John Hay Whitney |
| Parent(s) | John Milton Hay Clara Louise Stone |
| Relatives | Amasa Stone (grandfather) Flora Stone Mather (aunt) |
| Honors | U.S. Racing Hall of Fame – Pillars of the Turf (2019) |
Early life
editShe was the daughter of John Milton Hay (1838–1905),[2] who served as United States Secretary of State and the United States Ambassador to Great Britain,[3] and Clara Louise Stone (1849–1914). Her maternal grandfather was Cleveland multimillionaire railroad and banking mogul Amasa Stone (1818–1883).[4]
Career
editPoet
editHelen Hay was a poet and an author of books for children. A number of her poems were published in Harper's Magazine.[5] One of her poems, Love of the Rose, was used in Leon Ardin's opera, Antony and Cleopatra (Act 2, no. 15).[6] Herbs And Apples (1910)[7] is a collection of poems that she published using what she had given for The Metropolitan Magazine and Collier's Weekly. "Songs and Sonnets," "Gypsy Verses" are also some of her works produced in such a manner. Several of her works have been republished in the 21st century.[3]
Horse racing
editAfter her husband's death in 1927, she continued to manage Greentree, and Greentree Stable, and it continued to be a major force in Thoroughbred flat and steeplechase horse racing.[8][9] Her horses won the American Grand National steeplechase in 1926, 1927, 1928, and 1937. In flat racing, her horses Twenty Grand and Shut Out won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1931 and 1942, respectively.[3]
Twenty Grand, named American Horse of the Year in 1931, inspired a cigarette brand put out by Axton-Fisher Tobacco Co., which led to a 1936 trademark infringement case it won. The trademark battled over by was the name "Twenty Grand"/"20 Grand" and a depiction of a horse's head.[10]
Shut Out was bested for the American Horse of the Year in 1942 by 1941 Triple Crown winner Whirlaway, when Whirlaway repeated after winning the title in 1941.
In 2019, Helen Hay Whitney was posthumously given the industry's highest honor with induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame as one of its Pillars of the Turf.
Philanthropy
editThe beneficiary of a large fortune on the death of her husband, Helen Whitney provided substantial funding to various causes and institutions including the Payne Whitney Gymnasium at Yale University.[11] In 1943, an ailing Helen Whitney and her daughter Joan created the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation which supports early postdoctoral research training in all basic biomedical sciences.[12]
Personal life
editIn 1902, she married Payne Whitney,[13] the son of William Collins Whitney (1841–1904) and Flora Payne (1842–1893).[14] Together, Helen and Payne had a daughter and a son:
- Joan Whitney (1903–1975),[15] who was the first owner of the New York Mets Major League Baseball team.
- John Hay Whitney (1904–1982),[16] who served as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom[17][18][19]
The couple built a home at 972 Fifth Avenue in New York City designed by Stanford White. Helen Hay Whitney lived there until her death in 1944. The government of France acquired the property in 1952 and is part of the French Embassy in the United States. The Whitneys also owned a 438-acre (1.77 km2) estate in Manhasset, New York they called Greentree.[20]
Helen Whitney died in 1944 and as part of her bequests left the Metropolitan Museum of Art twenty-four objects consisting of paintings, ceramics, textiles, and furniture.[21]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ John Taliaferro (May 27, 2014). All the Great Prizes: The Life of John Hay, from Lincoln to Roosevelt. Simon and Schuster. pp. 166–. ISBN 978-1-4165-9734-6.
- ^ Gale, p. 125.
- ^ a b c "MRS. PAYNE WHITNEY DIES IN HOSPITAL, 68 | Twenty Grand As Head of Greentree Stable Was Leading Woman Owner of the American Turf | WON DERBY IN 1931, 1942 | Former Helen Hay, Daughter Ex-Secretary of State – Husband Left $178,000,000". The New York Times. September 25, 1944. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ Kushner & Sherrill, pp. 67–68.
- ^ http://www.harpers.org/search.php?q=Helen%20Hay%20Whitney [dead link]
- ^ "Antony and Cleopatra – Leon Ardin 1919". www.jmucci.com.
- ^ "Herbs And Apples | by Helen Hay Whitney". bookdome.com.
- ^ "PAYNE WHITNEY'S WILL AWAITS SON'S ARRIVAL; It Will Probably Be Read Next Saturday After Heir Returns From England". The New York Times. May 29, 1927. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ "MR. WHITNEY'S WILL". The New York Times. June 8, 1927. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ "Axton-Fisher Tobacco Co. v. Fortune Tobacco". Casetext: Smarter Legal Research.
- ^ http://www.yaleherald.com/article.php?Article=4454[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Home Page". The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation.
- ^ Times, Special To The New York (February 5, 1902). "THE WHITNEY-HAY WEDDING". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ "Dorothy Elmhirst, a Founder of New Republic, Dies". The New York Times. December 16, 1968. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
London, Dec. 15—Mrs. Dorothy Payne Whitney Straight Elmhirst, philanthropist, pioneer in progressive education and suffragist, died last night at Dartington Hall near ...
- ^ Durso, Joseph (October 5, 1975). "Joan Whitney Payson, 72, Mets Owner, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ "JOHN HAY WHITNEY DIES AT 77; PUBLISHER LED IN MANY FIELDS". The New York Times. February 9, 1982. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ "Payne Whitney's Son Arrives". The New York Times. June 4, 1927. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ Photo, Special To The New York Times times Wide World (September 26, 1930). "MARY ALTEMUS WED TO J. HAY WHITNEY; Philadelphia Girl Has Large Bridal Party at Marriage to New Yorker. SPECIAL TRAIN FOR COUPLE They Leave for Washington—Presents Received From Friends inMany Countries. Bride's Gown of Silver Cloth. Robert C. Benchley Best Man. Famous Manuscripts as Gifts. Bride a Horsewoman". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ "Mrs. Cushing Roosevelt Becomes Bride Here of John Hay Whitney; Former Wife of President's Eldest Son Wed to Wealthy Sportsman and Financier in a Simple Home Ceremony". The New York Times. March 2, 1942. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ "PAYNE WHITNEY DIES SUDDENLY AT HOME | Financier, 51, Stricken With Indigestion in Tennis Game at Manhasset, L.I. | WIFE SPEEDS TO HIM IN VAIN | He Succumbs in 25 Minutes – Wealth Put at $100,000,000 – Noted as Sportsman". The New York Times. May 26, 1927. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ "FindArticles.com – CBSi".
Sources
edit- Gale, Robert L. (1978). John Hay. Twayne's American Authors. Boston: Twayne Publishers. ISBN 0-8057-7199-9.
- Kushner, Howard I.; Sherrill, Anne Hummel (1977). John Milton Hay: The Union of Poetry and Politics. Twayne's World Leaders. Boston: Twayne Publishers. ISBN 0-8057-7719-9.
- Taliaferro, John (2013). All the Great Prizes: The Life of John Hay, from Lincoln to Roosevelt (Kindle ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-9741-4.
External links
edit
- Works by Helen Hay Whitney at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Helen Hay Whitney at the Internet Archive
- Works by Helen Hay Whitney at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Profile of Payne and Helen Whitney and details of their home, with photographs, at 972 Fifth Avenue in New York City
- Whitney, Helen Hay. Herbs And Apples (1910), John Lane Company
