Harry Kearsarge Knapp (September 25, 1864 - January 31, 1926) was a United States financier and a prominent executive in the Thoroughbred

horse racing 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 p ...

industry in which he had been a steward, secretary-treasurer and vice-chairman of The Jockey Club. A graduate of Columbia University, he was a partner with George Hyatt and John S. Van Siclen in the New York City stock brokerage firm, Hyatt & Co. and later a partner in Benedict Drysdale & Co. Harry Knapp was also a director of the Corn Exchange Bank of New York and was the head of the Racquet and Tennis Club. Harry Knapp married Caroline Burr with whom he had three children. They made their home in New York City and in 1903 built Brookwood Hall, a summer home on more than at East Islip, 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 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

now being used as the

Islip Art Museum Islip may refer to: Places England *Islip, Northamptonshire * Islip, Oxfordshire United States * Islip, New York, a town in Suffolk County **Islip (hamlet), New York, located in the above town **Central Islip, New York, a hamlet and census-d ...

Oneck Stable

Harry Knapp became involved in the sport of Thoroughbred racing, operating with his brother, Dr. Gideon Lee Knapp, under the ''

nom de course NOM may refer to: * National Organization for Marriage * Natural organic matter * New Order Mormons * Nickelodeon Original Movies * ''Nintendo Official Magazine'', official British Nintendo magazine; now discontinued, superseded by '' Official ...

'', Oneck Stable. They owned a number of successful horses, among the best known of which were

Sir Walter Sir Walter (foaled 1890 in California) was an outstanding American Thoroughbred racehorse known for his gritty determination which saw him win a number of races by a matter of inches. Background Sir Walter was bred by James Ben Ali Haggin at hi ...

, winner of the 1896

Brooklyn Handicap The Brooklyn Invitational Stakes (formerly known as the Brooklyn Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to four-year-ol ...

and Fashion Plate, winner of the 1910 Metropolitan Handicap. Walter Rollins was a long-time trainer for the Oneck Stable and was succeeded by William Karrick. Knapp was a member of the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

and a vice-chairman of The Jockey Club and a director of the Saratoga Racing Association. In 1906, New York governor

Frank W. Higgins Frank Wayland Higgins (August 18, 1856February 12, 1907) was an American politician who served as the 35th Governor of New York. Early life Higgins was born in Rushford, New York on August 18, 1856. He was the son of Orrin Thrall Higgins (1826 ...

appointed him chairman of the

New York State Racing Commission The New York State Gaming Commission is the official governing body that oversees casino gaming, charitable gaming, horse racing, lottery, and video lottery terminals in New York State. Based in Schenectady, it was formed on February 1, 2013, ...

. Poor health forced Harry Knapp to step down from his various racing positions in 1925 and he died on February 1, 1926. In May, his racing stable was sold at auction at

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 ...

. His son Theodore served as president of the Queens County Jockey Club from 1941 until his death in 1947. The Queens County Jockey Club owned and operated the

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

External links

Brookwood Hall histor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Harry K. 1864 births 1926 deaths Columbia University alumni American financiers American racehorse owners and breeders Stockbrokers People from East Islip, New York Horse racing in New York (state)