![August Belmont II on May 6, 1915](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/August_Belmont_II_on_May_6%2C_1915.jpg)
August Belmont Jr. (February 18, 1853 – December 10, 1924) was an American financier. He financed the construction of the
original New York City subway (1900–1904) and for many years headed the
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT w ...
, which ran the transit system. He also financed and led the construction of the Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts, which opened in 1914.
Belmont bought the land for and built
New York's Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905.
It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...
racetrack—named for his father—and was a major owner/breeder of
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racehorses
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
.
[
He served as chairman of the board of the ]Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.
Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...
. He also served as a director of the Southern Pacific Co., parent of the railroad, and National Park Bank
The National Park Bank was founded in 1856 in New York City, and by the late 19th century, it did more commercial business than any other bank in the country.
History
The bank built a significant Second Empire early skyscraper at 214-18 Broadway & ...
.[
]
Early life
He was born in Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, New York City, on February 18, 1853, to Caroline Slidell Perry and August Belmont Sr.
August Belmont Sr. (born August Schönberg; December 8, 1813November 24, 1890) was a German-American financier, diplomat, politician and party chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and also a horse-breeder and racehorse owner. He was ...
[ His maternal grandfather was Commodore ]Matthew C. Perry
Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the op ...
.
He graduated from St. Mark's School and was an 1875 graduate of Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.[ At Harvard on the track team he introduced spiked track shoes to the United States. He was a member of ]Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fifteen ...
at Harvard. Belmont was also a member of the Porcellian Club
The Porcellian Club is an all-male final club at Harvard University, sometimes called the Porc or the P.C. The year of founding is usually given as 1791, when a group began meeting under the name "the Argonauts",, p. 171: source for 1791 origins ...
.
After graduation he worked at the Belmont banking house, August Belmont & Co.[ At the death of his father in 1890, he became the head of the company.][
Belmont founded the ]Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT w ...
in 1902 to help finance the construction of and operate the first line of what is now the New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
. He served as president, and, in 1907, chairman of the company. Belmont holds the distinction of owning the world's only purpose built private subway car. Named ''Mineola'', it was used by Belmont to give tours of the IRT. The car is now preserved at the Shore Line Trolley Museum
The Shore Line Trolley Museum is a trolley museum located in East Haven, Connecticut. Incorporated in 1945, it is the oldest continuously operating trolley museum in the United States. The museum includes exhibits on trolley history in the visit ...
.
World War I
Following the United States' entry into World War I, Belmont, at age 64, volunteered to assist the war effort and was sent to France by the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. He received a commission as major in the United States Army Air Service
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...
on November 9, 1917, in France.
He was assigned to the supply department of the American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...
(AEF) and conducted negotiations with the government of Spain to procure supplies for the AEF. He was on detached service to the United States from February 16 to October 23, 1918, when he returned to France. He returned to the United States on December 21 and was discharged from the Army on January 6, 1919. He was one of the oldest officers to serve in the U.S. Army during the First World War.
During the war, his son, Morgan Belmont, served as a lieutenant at the Aviation Instruction Center at Foggia, Italy
Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also know ...
. Another son, Raymond Belmont, served as an Infantry officer with the 78th Division in France and participated in Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives.
His wife, Eleanor, also devoted much time to raising funds in aid of Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...
relief efforts and for the Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
, she made a number of trans-Atlantic trips as an inspector of United States Army camps.
Cape Cod Canal
Belmont was instrumental in making the Cape Cod Canal
The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts connecting Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south, and is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The approximately canal traverses the neck o ...
a reality. The grand opening of the Cape Cod Canal took place on July 29, 1914, and it was soon plagued with troubles. Belmont's canal was expensive for mariners, costing as much as $16.00 for a trip by schooner, a considerable sum in those days. The narrow width and shallow depth of the canal made navigation difficult, and tidal flows created dangerous currents, so many mariners continued to use the routes around the cape. As a result, tolls did not live up to expectations and the Cape Cod Canal became a losing proposition. As a result, the canal was purchased by the U.S. government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
on March 30, 1928.
Thoroughbred horse racing
Like his father, Belmont was an avid Thoroughbred racing
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing i ...
fan. According to his ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' obituary, Belmont "is credited with having saved thoroughbred racing when it was at its lowest ebb in the East, after the repeal of the racing law in New York State."
Belmont served as the first president of The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...
and was chairman of the New York State Racing Commission. In 1895 he was one of the nine founding members of the National Steeplechase Association
The National Steeplechase Association is the official sanctioning body of American steeplechase horse racing.
The National Steeplechase Association was founded on February 15, 1895 by August Belmont Jr., the first president of The Jockey Club an ...
.
Belmont inherited Nursery Stud
Nursery may refer to:
Childcare
* Nursery (room), a room within the house designed for the care of a young child or children.
* Nursery school, a daycare facility for preschool-age children
* Prison nursery, for imprisoned mothers with their young ...
, a Thoroughbred breeding operation established in 1867 by his father at his Babylon, New York
The Town of Babylon is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Its population was 218,223 as of the 2020 census. Parts of Jones Beach Island, Captree Island and Fire Island are in the southernmost part of the town. It bord ...
, estate. There, Belmont raised polo
Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...
ponies and played on a polo team with Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.
Early years
Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as the eldest son ...
. It was here he stood the Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
stallion
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated).
Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
. In the early 1880s, Belmont Sr. leased a farm property in Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, located about three miles outside Lexington. After transferring all of the breeding business there, Belmont Jr. developed a very important stud
Stud may refer to the following terms:
Animals
* Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding
** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred
Arts and entertainment
* Stud (band), a British progressive rock group
* The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...
farm whose influences are still felt today. Given the same name as the New York operation, at the Kentucky Nursery Stud he bred 129 American Stakes winners. The greatest of the horses he bred was Man o' War
Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and ...
, born while he was serving overseas in World War I. In his absence, his wife Eleanor named the new foal "My Man o' War" in honor of her husband but because of his age and the uncertainty as to the war's end, Belmont Jr. decided to disband the stable and with the "My" dropped from the name, Man o' War
Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and ...
was sold to Glen Riddle Farm
Glen Riddle Farm was a large horse farm in Berlin, Maryland in the United States. Located on what today is Route 50 between Ocean City and Berlin, it was owned by a wealthy textile businessman Samuel D. Riddle who named it for his home town Glen ...
in Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
.
Belmont organized the Westchester Racing Association in 1895. In 1905 he built Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905.
It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...
racetrack in Elmont, on Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
which operates to this day as the largest thoroughbred racing facility in the state. In the year of its opening, the prestigious Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...
, inaugurated in 1867 and named in his father's honor, was transferred from the financially troubled Morris Park Racecourse
Morris Park Racecourse was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1889 to 1904. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1895 and later developed as the neighborhood of Morris Park. T ...
. Three times, horses from Belmont's stable won the Belmont Stakes, the first coming in 1902 followed by back-to-back wins in 1916 and 1917.
Belmont also had horses competing in England and in 1908 his American-bred colt Norman III
Norman (also known as Norman III, 1905 – after 1918) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was exported from the United States as a yearling and showed some promise as a juvenile in 1907 when he won twic ...
won a British Classic Race
The British Classics are five long-standing Group 1 horse races run during the traditional flat racing season. They are restricted to three-year-old horses and traditionally represent the pinnacle of achievement for racehorses against their own ...
, the 2,000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...
. In addition to his Kentucky horse farm, in 1908 Belmont established Haras de Villers, a breeding operation near Foucarmont
Foucarmont () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.
Geography
A large village of farming and associated light industry, situated by the banks of the river Yères, in the Pays de Bray, some sou ...
in Upper Normandy
Upper Normandy (french: Haute-Normandie, ; nrf, Ĥâote-Normaundie) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Upper and Lower Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy.
History
It was created in 1956 from two d ...
, France. Following the cessation of racing in New York State as a result of the Hart–Agnew Law
The Hart–Agnew Law was an anti-gambling bill passed into law by the Legislature of the State of New York on June 11, 1908. It was an amalgam of bills enacted as Chapter 506 and 507 which were sponsored by conservative Assemblyman Merwin K. Hart ...
banning parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting or pool betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vigorish" are deducted, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winnin ...
, Belmont stood American stallions at Haras de Villers such as Flint Rock, Ethelbert, and the sire of Norman III, Octagon. At his French farm, he bred notable horses such as Prix de Diane
The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 metre ...
winner Qu'elle est Belle as well as Vulcain, one of the best three-year-olds of his generation in France.
Belmont operated the Kentucky farm until his death in 1924 after which the business was broken up and its bloodstock sold. According to ''Thoroughbred Heritage
The National Sporting Library & Museum or NSLM (formerly the National Sporting Library) is a research library and art museum in Middleburg, Virginia in the United States.
History
The National Sporting Library was founded in 1954 in the personal ...
'', today the property is home to a condominium development. Its horse cemetery, which became part of Hurstland Farm then the Nuckols Farm, is now occupied by the Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital was established in Lexington, Kentucky in 1986 as a partnership between veterinarians William Rood and Thomas Riddle. The facility offers a range of services for the treatment of horses. They have cared for many famous ...
.
His son Raymond
Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...
owned Belray Farm near Middleburg, Virginia
Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 673 as of the 2010 census. It is the southernmost town along Loudoun County's shared border with Fauquier County.
Middleburg is known as the "Nation's Horse an ...
, where the Hall of Fame horse Colin Colin may refer to:
* Colin (given name)
* Colin (surname)
* ''Colin'' (film), a 2008 Cannes film festival zombie movie
* Colin (horse) (1905–1932), thoroughbred racehorse
* Colin (humpback whale), a humpback whale calf abandoned north of Sydney, ...
lived out his final years, dying there in 1932 at the age of 27.
Directorships
During the course of his career, Belmont was a director in the following businesses.
Construction & Manufacturing
* American Bridge Company
The American Bridge Company is a heavy/civil construction firm that specializes in building and renovating bridges and other large, complex structures. Founded in 1900, the company is headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pitts ...
* Boston, Cape Cod & New York Canal Co.
* Casein Company of America
* Golden Reward Consolidated Mining & Milling Co.
* Rapid Transit Subway Construction Co.
* Republic Iron and Steel Company
* Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co.
Financial Services
* Bank of the State of New York
* Chatham & Phenix National Bank
*The Equitable Life Assurance Society
The Equitable Life Assurance Society (Equitable Life), founded in 1762, is a life insurance company in the United Kingdom. The world's oldest mutual insurer, it pioneered age-based premiums based on mortality rate, laying "the framework for sci ...
* Fifth Avenue Trust Company
*First National Bank of Hempstead
*Guaranty Trust Company of New York
J.P. Morgan & Co. is a commercial and investment banking institution founded by J. P. Morgan in 1871. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the company is now a subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase, one of the largest banking institutions in th ...
* Manhattan Trust Company
* Mount Morris Bank
*National Park Bank
The National Park Bank was founded in 1856 in New York City, and by the late 19th century, it did more commercial business than any other bank in the country.
History
The bank built a significant Second Empire early skyscraper at 214-18 Broadway & ...
*Plaza Bank
*State Safe Deposit Vaults
*Trust Company of New Jersey
Siggi B. Wilzig, born Siegbert Wilzig (March 11, 1926 – January 7, 2003), was a survivor of concentration camps Auschwitz and Mauthausen who arrived in the U.S. in 1947 with little money and only a grade school education. By the time of his deat ...
Transportation
*Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company
The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) was a public transit holding company formed in 1896 to acquire and consolidate railway lines in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It was a prominent corporation and industry leader using ...
*Colonial City Traction Company
* Chicago, St. Paul & Milwaukee Railway
*Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk Co ...
*Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.
Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...
*Mobile and Ohio Railroad
The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mobile ...
*North American Transportation & Trading Co.
*Ohio & Little Kanawha Railroad
*Southern Pacific Transportation Company
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
Club president
In 1893 Belmont became president of the New York Athletic Club
The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Travers ...
.
In 1888 he became the American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kenn ...
's fourth president.
Marriages
In 1881, Belmont married childhood sweetheart
Childhood sweetheart is a reciprocating phrase for a relationship (but not a partnership) between young persons. This may come about by an extension of friendship, physical attraction or develop from natural affinity.
The relationship is usually ...
and next-door neighbor, Elizabeth Hamilton Morgan (1862–1898). They had three sons together, August III
Augustus III ( pl, August III Sas, lt, Augustas III; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Augu ...
(1882–1919), Raymond II (1888–1934), and Morgan Belmont
Morgan Belmont (March 19, 1892 - September 17, 1953) was head of August Belmont & Co., the banking firm.
Biography
He was born on March 19, 1892, in Hempstead, New York, to August Belmont Jr. and Bessie Hamilton Morgan. He attended Harvard Unive ...
(1892–1953). Elizabeth died at age thirty-six while visiting Paris, France, in 1898. A widower for twelve years, on February 26, 1910, Belmont married actress Eleanor Robson
Eleanor Robson, (born 1969) is a British Assyriologist and academic. She is Professor of Ancient Middle Eastern History at University College London. She is a former chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq and a Quondam fellow of A ...
.
Death
He spent his last years on his estate in North Babylon, New York
North Babylon is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 17,509 at the 2010 census.
Overview
North Babyl ...
. He died on December 10, 1924, at his apartment at 550 Park Avenue
550 Park Avenue is a luxury apartment building on Park Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City, United States.
Design
550 Park Avenue was designed by J.E.R. Carpenter. The 17-floor building was completed on December 11, 1917 and ...
.[ and was buried in the Belmont family plot at ]Island Cemetery
The Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery are a pair of separate cemeteries on Farewell and Warner Street in Newport, Rhode Island. Together they contain over 5,000 graves, including a colonial-era slave cemetery and Jewish graves. The pair ...
in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
, along with his parents and his brother Perry Belmont
Perry Belmont (December 28, 1851 – May 25, 1947) was an American politician and diplomat. He served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1881 to 1888.
Early life and education
Belmont was born on December 28, 1851, in New York C ...
.
His widow, Eleanor, then sold most of the estate to a property developer. She outlived her husband by fifty-five years, dying just before her 100th birthday in 1979. The remaining , including the family mansion, lake, and main farm buildings, were taken over by New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
. Under the control of planner Robert Moses
Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid 20th century. Despite never being elected to any office, Moses is regarded ...
, the estate was later expanded to and turned into Belmont Lake State Park
Belmont Lake State Park is a day-use state park located in North Babylon, New York on Long Island.
History
Belmont Lake State Park was established in 1926 on land that was formerly part of the " Nursery Stud Farm", a Thoroughbred horse farm owne ...
. The mansion served as headquarters for the Long Island State Park Commission
The Long Island State Park Commission was created in 1924 by the New York State Legislature to build and operate parks and parkways on Long Island. Governor Al Smith was appointed as its first President, and Robert Moses, who had drafted the bill ...
until 1935, when it was demolished to make way for the current building. Two lines of pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
trees that formerly surrounded the mansion's driveway are preserved in the median of the Southern State Parkway
The Southern State Parkway (also known as the Southern State or Southern Parkway; abbreviated as SO on Road signs in the United States, signage) is a limited-access highway on Long Island, New York (state), New York, in the United States. The pa ...
.7 Strange Long Island Facts You Likely Didn’t Know
accessed May 26, 2020.
References
Further reading
* Case, Carole – ''The Right Blood: America's Aristocrats in Thoroughbred Racing'' (2000) Rutgers University Press
Rutgers University Press (RUP) is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in New Brunswick, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University.
History
Rutgers University Press, a nonprofit academic publishing house operating in New B ...
History of the American Kennel Club
* Hollingsworth, Kent. ''The Kentucky Thoroughbred'' (1985) University Press of Kentucky
The University Press of Kentucky (UPK) is the scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and was organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press. The university had sponsored scholarly publication since 1943. In 194 ...
August Belmont Jr. at the National Horse Racing Museum, Newmarket, England
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belmont, August Jr.
1853 births
1924 deaths
American financiers
United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I
American railway entrepreneurs
American racehorse owners and breeders
American polo players
American socialites
American people of German-Jewish descent
Belmont family
Harvard Crimson men's track and field athletes
Harvard University alumni
New York (state) Democrats
New York Racing Association executives
Businesspeople from New York City
United States Army officers
Burials in Rhode Island
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
People from North Babylon, New York
People from the Upper East Side
Presidents of the New York Athletic Club
Perry family