Richard Thornton Wilson Jr.

Richard Thornton Wilson Jr. (September 11, 1866 – December 29, 1929)[1] was an American banker and businessman who was a prominent figure in Thoroughbred horse racing in the early decades of the 20th Century.

Richard Thornton Wilson Jr.
Born(1866-09-11)September 11, 1866
New York City, New York
United States
DiedDecember 29, 1929(1929-12-29) (aged 63)
New York City
Resting placeWoodlawn Cemetery
Alma materColumbia University
OccupationBanker/businessman
Racehose owner/breeder
Spouse(s)
Marion Steedman Mason
​
(
m. 1902; his death 1929)
ChildrenMarion Mason Wilson
Louisa Steedman Wilson
Parent(s)Richard Thornton Wilson
Melissa Clementine Johnston
RelativesMarshall Orme Wilson (brother)
Mary Wilson Goelet (sister)
Grace Vanderbilt (sister)

Early life

Wilson was born in New York City, one of five surviving children of Richard Thornton Wilson Sr. (1829–1910) and Melissa Clementine Johnston (1831–1908). His father was a multimillionaire investment banker originally from Loudon, Tennessee, who served on the staff of Lucius B. Northrop, the commissary-general of the Confederate States of America.

Because of Wilson's and his siblings' many advantageous marriages, the Wilsons were known in New York and Newport society as the "marrying Wilsons". His sister Grace Graham Wilson married Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III of the Vanderbilt family.[2][lower-alpha 1] His older brother, Marshall Orme Wilson,[3] married Caroline Schermerhorn "Carrie" Astor of the Astor family.[4][5][lower-alpha 2] Wilson's other two sisters, Belle Wilson, was married to the Honourable Sir Michael Henry Herbert,[7] the British Ambassador to the United States during Theodore Roosevelt's administration and the brother of the Earl of Pembroke,[8][9] and Mary Wilson, who was married to New York real estate heir, Ogden Goelet,[10] and were the parents of Wilson's niece, Mary Goelet, who married the Duke of Roxburghe.[1]

Career

Wilson prepared at private schools and graduated from Columbia University in 1887.[1]

After graduating from Columbia, Wilson followed in his father's footsteps and joined R. T. Wilson & Co., which his father founded in New York City after his move north following the U.S. Civil War.[11] He eventually succeeded his father as head of the R. T. Wilson & Co.[1]

Wilson was a member of many prominent clubs, including the Union Club, the Knickerbocker Club, the Brook Club, the Turf and Field Club, the Racquet and Tennis Club, the South Side Sportsmen Club, and was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.[1]

Thoroughbred racing

In 1896, Richard Wilson Jr. and Harry Payne Whitney teamed up with a group of investors to purchase Saratoga Race Course which had fallen into the hands of an undesirable New Jersey brothelkeeper, Gottfried Waldbaum. Wilson then served as president of the Saratoga Racing Association which operated the facility.[1]

In 1896, Wilson hired Thomas J. Healey to manage his racing stable. Together for three decades, they would win a number of the most important East Coast races including the Travers Stakes three times, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. In 1916, he bought Kirklevington Nursery in Lexington, Kentucky which contained over 500 acres of bluegrass land was considered "one of the most up-to-date nurseries in the district."[12] Among Wilson's successful racehorses were:[1]

Personal life
Richard T. Wilson home at Palmetto Bluff SC

On March 11, 1902, he married Marion Steedman Mason (1875–1947),[26] daughter of Dr. Amos Lawrence Mason, a cousin of Bishop of Massachusetts William Lawrence, and Louisa Blake Steedman. Her grandparents included Rear Admiral Charles Steedman of Charleston, South Carolina, captain of the USS Ticonderoga, and Rev. Charles Mason, himself the son of U.S. Senator from New Hampshire Jeremiah Mason.[27]

In 1902, Wilson purchased an estate at Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina from John Holbrook Estill where in 1916 he built a mansion and maintained a stable and a blacksmith shop. The home burned down in 1926 and the property was sold.[28] They also had homes at 300 Park Avenue in New York City, "Shady Lawn" in Newport, Rhode Island,[29] and "Indian House" in Middletown, Rhode Island.[26] Together, they had two daughters:[1]

  • Louisa Steedman Wilson (1904–1974)
  • Marion Mason Wilson (1906–1982)

Wilson died at his home in New York City, on December 29, 1929.[1] Wilson, who was an Episcopalian, had his funeral service held at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, New York. He was interred in the family mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.[30] His estate was estimated at $10,000,000 at his death.[31] His widow lived for another 17 and a half years until July 5, 1947 when she died at the Newport Hospital following a heart attack at her residence in Middletown, Rhode Island.[26]

Notes
  1. Neily's sister Gertrude was married to prominent horseman Harry Payne Whitney.
  2. Carrie was the youngest daughter of William Backhouse Astor Jr. and Caroline Webster Schermerhorn, leader of the "Four Hundred", and her brother was Colonel John Jacob Astor IV, richest passenger on the RMS Titanic.[6]
gollark: So apparently government money is spent on this stuff.
gollark: Please hold on while I consult the UK government spending breakdown.
gollark: Okay.
gollark: https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/kNYUQtM4r4gy0WX4zX7vJXVMydqEM-RgXkINT5M2OaQ/https/cdn.nekos.life/gecg/3.jpg?width=623&height=623
gollark: But people would just give all the money to the shiny departments and nothing to nonshiny important ones.

References
  1. "RICHARD T. WILSON, TURF LEADER, DEAD; Brother of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Succumbs to Pneumonia in 63d Year. HAD HEADED BANKING FIRM President of Association to Improve Breed of Horses--Won Many Victories on Track. Son of New York Banker. His Greatest Turf Victory". The New York Times. 30 December 1929. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  2. "Mrs. C. Vanderbilt Dies At Home Here. Leader of New York, Newport Society for Many Years Was Hostess to Royal Figures". New York Times. January 8, 1953. Retrieved 2011-05-28. Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, still recognized as the leader of New York and Newport society although inactive in recent years, died of pneumonia last night at her home, 1048 Fifth Avenue. She was believed to have been in her eighty-third year.....
  3. "DIED. WILSON". The New York Times. 4 April 1926. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  4. "MRS. WILSON DEAD; LEADER IN SOCIETY | Great-Granddaughter of John J. Astor, Founder of Noted Family, Widow of Banker | KNOWN FOR LARGE PARTIES | Last of William's Children Aided Welfare Groups in City--Her Mother 'The' Mrs. Astor". The New York Times. 14 September 1948. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  5. "Mrs. Wilson Rites at Trinity Church". The New York Times. 16 September 1948. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  6. "Noted Men On The Lost Titanic. Col. Jacob Astor, with His Wife. Isidor Straus and Wife, and Benj. Guggenheim Aboard". The New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. April 16, 1912. Retrieved 2013-12-10. Following are sketches of a few of the well-known persons among the 1,300 passengers on the lost Titanic. The fate of most of them at this time is, of course, not known. Col. John Jacob Astor and Mrs. Astor, Isidor Straus and Mrs. Straus, J. Bruce Ismay, Managing Director of the White Star Line: Benjamin Guggenheim, and Frank D. Millet, the artist, are perhaps the most widely known of the passengers.....
  7. "SIR MICHAEL'S FUNERAL; Body of Late Ambassador Interred Ambassador Choate Present at Ceremony -- Simultaneous Services at St. James's Palace -- Exercises in Washington". The New York Times. 7 October 1903. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  8. "Betrothed to an Earl's Brother". The New York Times. 29 June 1888. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  9. "Engaged to an Earl's Brother". The New York Times. 30 June 1888. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  10. "MRS. OGDEN GOELET DIES OF PNEUMONIA; Duchess of Roxburghe's Mother Long Noted for Her Lavish Entertaining. WAS HOSTESS TO ROYALTY Edward VII, as Prince of Wales, Among Guests--Sister of Mrs. Cornellus Vanderbilt and R.T. Wilson. Her Hospitality. Duchess of Roxburghe Daughter". The New York Times. 24 February 1929. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  11. Fromson, Brett Duval (15 April 2007). "Opinion | Confederates Among Us". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  12. "WILSON BUYS STUD FARM.; Owner of Campfire Takes Possession of Kirklevington Nursery". The New York Times. 14 October 1916. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  13. "THE PARADER WON EASILY; R.T. Wilson, Jr.'s, Colt Ran Over His Opponents in the Stretch. DISADVANTAGE TOOK A STAKE Backed at Long Odds, Smyth's Filly Beat Luciline for the Clover Stakes at Gravesend". The New York Times. 29 May 1901. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  14. "OLAMBALA GALLOPS IN FOR LONG RACE; Three-Year-Old Easily Beats Moquette for the Municipal Handicap Stakes. SIR WOOSTER'S CHAMPION Virginia Jumper Stays Best in the Three-and-a-Half-Mile Steeplechase at Belmont Park". The New York Times. 3 October 1909. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  15. "OLAMBALA ROMPS IN BRIGHTON HANDICAP; R.T. Wilson, Jr's, Crack Racer Wins Stake at Empire City Easily". The New York Times. 10 July 1910. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  16. "OLAMBALA EQUALS AMERICAN RECORD; R.T. Wilson, Jr.'s Great Horse Wins Commonwealth Handicap in 2:02 4-5". The New York Times. 3 July 1910. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  17. "CAMPFIRE CAPTURES THE HOPEFUL STAKES; Wilson Colt Defeats Probably the Best Field of Two-year-olds of the Season". The New York Times. 27 August 1916. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  18. "HANNIBAL GALLOPS HOME FAR IN VAN; Wilson's Colt Captures Keene Memorial Stakes at Belmont by Ten Lengths". The New York Times. 13 June 1918. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  19. "WILSON'S FLEET THREE YEAR-OLD HANNIBAL WINS TRAVERS STAKES AT SARATOGA EASILY; HANNIBAL DEFEATS FAST FIELD AT SPA Wilson's Entry Leads War Pennant Home by Four Lengthsin Travers Stakes.RECORD CROWD AT TRACK Constancy Surprises Turfmen by Beating Afternoon Handilyin the Spinaway Stakes. Hannibal's Victory Popular. Is a Winner All the Way. Away to Excellent Start. No Surprise to Ross. Doublet First Over Jumps". The New York Times. 17 August 1919. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  20. "HANNIBAL RACES TO FINE VICTORY; Big Empire City Crowd Sees Three-Year-Old Capture the Westchester Handicap. MASDA LEADS SPRINTERS Gains Decision Over Arnold and Enfilade at Six Furlongs--Bright Gold Wins Juvenile Event. Andacious Not in Form. Victory by Four Lengths. Bill McCloy Sets Early Pace. Albert A.'s Fine Performance". The New York Times. 19 October 1919. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  21. "PILLORY, AT 11 TO 1, TAKES PREAKNESS; Son of Olambala Finishes a Head in Front of Hea in Pimlico Classic. EQUALS MAN 'O' WAR'S TIME Wilson's Colt, Hard Driven at End, Covers Course in 1:51 3-5 --June Grass Is Third. MISS JOY FAR IN THE REAR Favorite Runs Disappointing Race-- Ideal Conditions Govern Event Which Draws Crowd of 30,000". The New York Times. 14 May 1922. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  22. "PILLORY IS FIRST IN BELMONT STAKES; T. Wilson Jr.'s Preakness inner Smothers Field in $50,000 Classic. SNOB II, FALTERS AT END Favorite, Under the Whip, Peaks in Stretch Run When Pillory Comes From Rear. HE A GETS THIRD PLACE $50,000 See Race at Belmont Park-- of Victor 2:18 4-5-Cherry Pie Takes Keene Memorial". The New York Times. 11 June 1922. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  23. "WILDERNESS TAKES TRAVERS BY A HEAD; Wilson Colt Wins $12,500 Turf Classic in Great Finish With Flagstaff. BIG BLAZE CAUSES UPSET Riddle Juvenile, at 8 to 1, Beats St. James in Grand Union Stakes -- Sets New Record. BULLSEYE FIRST IN 'CHASE Cosden Jumper Is First in the Bev- erwyck -- Crowd of 35,000 Fills Stands at Saratoga Track". The New York Times. 19 August 1923. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  24. "WILDERNESS WINS THE SHENANDOAH; Trails at Start, but Closes With Rush to Beat Cudgeller at Bowie Track. SIX FAVORITES IN FRONT Public Choices Prove Their Mettle -- Thurber First With Nomad, Forecaster and Opperman". The New York Times. 25 November 1925. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  25. "SUNFIRE CAPTURES $12,000 OHIO DERBY; Wilson Entry Sets New Bainbridge Mark of 1:52 1-5 for, Mile and a Furlong.WINNER PAYS $6.30 FOR $2 Easter Stockings Is Second, and Golden Racket Third in Feature Event". The New York Times. 12 August 1928. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  26. "MRS. R.T. WILSON DEAD IN NEWPORT; Widow of Banker and Ex-Head of Saratoga Racing Group Was a Social Leader". The New York Times. 6 July 1947. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  27. "DR. AMOS L. MASON DEAD.; Prominent Boston Physician Was Father of Mrs. Richard T. Wilson". The New York Times. 6 June 1914. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  28. "History | An early history. | The Wilson era". www.palmettobluff.com. Palmetto Bluff. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  29. ""Shady Lawn Manor Newport, Rhode Island"". digitalcommons.salve.edu. Salve Regina University. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  30. "NOTABLES ATTEND R.T. WILSON FUNERAL; More Than 1,000 Pay Homage, Including Social Leaders and Turf Delegations. DELTA PSI SERVICE HELD His Racing Associates Serve as Honorary Pallbearers--Burial in Family Mausoleum". The New York Times. 1 January 1930. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  31. "R.T. WILSON LEFT $10,000,000 ESTATE; Two Daughters Are to Receive Fortune After Death of His Widow. SECRETARY GETS $7,500 Will of Capitalist and Turf Patron Provides for Eventual Setting Up of Trusteeship". The New York Times. January 8, 1930. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
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