Samuel Doyle Riddle (July 1, 1861 – January 8, 1951) was an American businessman and racehorse owner. He was born in Glen Riddle,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, a small town southwest of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

given the family name by his father. Samuel D. Riddle, a native of Delaware County, owned and operated a

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

started by his father, Samuel Riddle, but is best known as a sportsman. His father Samuel Riddle was born in Ireland and arrived in America in 1825. His mother was Lydia Doyle. He had a brother, Leander W. Riddle. His sisters were Lydia Maud Riddle (who married Donald C. Haldeman, general manager for Great Britain and Ireland of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York) and Charlotte Buffington Riddle. Miss Riddle, member number 25516 of the Daughters of the American Revolution, married Mr. Homer Lee (of Mansfield, Ohio, who founded the

Homer Lee Bank Note Company The Homer Lee Bank Note Company was a producer of postage stamps and currency and was founded in New York City by artist, engraver, and inventor Homer Lee. In 1891, it was absorbed into the American Bank Note Company. The Homer Lee Company grew ...

in New York City). Their children were Leander Lee and Homer Lee, Jr. Riddle married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Dobson in 1883. She was the daughter of John Dobson, who with his brother owned a mill in East Falls, Philadelphia. Riddle and Elizabeth had no children, but raised Elizabeth's niece, Sarah Dobson Fiske, the daughter of Elizabeth's sister, Sarah Dobson Fiske.

Thoroughbred racing

The owner of

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 ...

, Riddle bred and raced

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 ...

race horses Race Horses were a Welsh band based in Cardiff, Wales and originally from Aberystwyth. Formed in 2005 as Radio Luxembourg, they changed their name in 2009 due to possible legal problems with the radio station of the same name. Initially the m ...

. His most famous horses were

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 t ...

and U.S. Triple Crown winner,

War Admiral War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fourth winner of the American Triple Crown. He was also the 1937 Horse of the Year and well known as the rival of Seabiscuit in the 'Match ...

. In partnership with Walter M. Jeffords, Sr., the husband of niece Sarah, Samuel D. Riddle purchased and operated

Faraway Farm Faraway Farm, also known as the Daniel Ropp House, is a historic home located near Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia. It was built about 1865 and is a two-story, "L"-shaped brick dwelling. It is five bays wide and the ell is four bays ...

on Huffman Mill Pike near

Lexington Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

where they stood Man o' War. In 1939, Riddle turned down an offer of a then unheard of $1 million for Man o' War. Upon his death in January 1951,New York Times - January 9, 1951
/ref> Mr. Riddle's will stipulated that his estate was to be used to provide a hospital for the community of

Media, Pennsylvania Media is a borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located about west of Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation with 1.6 million residents as 2020. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolita ...

, the nearest town to Glen Riddle. With the $2.5 million and the of land, fronted by Baltimore Pike, provided by Mr. Riddle, a charter for the hospital was granted on November 29, 1956. Riddle Memorial Hospital opened in February 1963, on of the land, with the balance of the land reserved for some manner related to the health and well-being of the community. The Riddlewood residential housing development in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, is named for Mr. Riddle and its streets are named for the horses he owned.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddle, Samuel D. 1861 births 1951 deaths American racehorse owners and breeders Breeders of U.S. Thoroughbred Triple Crown winners Owners of U.S. Thoroughbred Triple Crown winners People from Delaware County, Pennsylvania