Stephen Sanford (September 14, 1898 – May 31, 1977) (a.k.a. "Laddie") was an American

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 ...

champion and owner of

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 ...

horses.

Biography

Early life

Stephen Sanford was born in 1898.Bob Cudmore, ''Hidden History of the Mohawk Valley: The Baseball Oracle, the Mohawk Encampment and More'', The History Press, 2013, p. 14

/ref> His father was John Sanford (1851), John Sanford (1851–1939) and his mother, Ethel Sanford. His paternal grandfather, whom he was named after, was Stephen Sanford (1826–1913). His paternal great-grandfather was John Sanford (1803-1857). His maternal grandfather was

Henry Shelton Sanford Henry Shelton Sanford (June 15, 1823 – May 21, 1891) was a wealthy American diplomat and businessman from Connecticut who served as United States Minister to Belgium from 1861 to 1869. He is also known for founding the city of Sanford, Flori ...

(1823–1891). His maternal great-grandfather was Nehemiah Curtis Sanford (1792–1841). He was educated at St. Mark's School, a private boarding school in

Southborough, Massachusetts Southborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps, though ...

. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and attended the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

.Agnes Ash, 'For Mary Sanford, Palm Beach Will Always Be Home', ''

Palm Beach Daily News The ''Palm Beach Daily News'' is a newspaper serving the town of Palm Beach in Palm Beach County in South Florida. It is also known as "The Shiny Sheet" because of its heavy, slick newsprint stock. It was founded in 1897 as the ''Lake Worth Dail ...

'', July 10, 197

/ref>

Business career

He sat on the board of directors of the Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company, a family business.

Polo

He was a member of the

Meadowbrook Polo Club The Meadowbrook Polo Club (originally styled as the "Meadow Brook Club"), located in Old Westbury, New York, is the oldest continuously operating polo club in the United States, first established in 1881.Marie, Kim (August 27, 201The Power of The ...

. He played on the Hurricanes Polo Team. In 1925, he competed in the U.S. Open Polo Championship with his Hurricanes Polo Team ( Pat Roark,

John Wodehouse, 3rd Earl of Kimberley John Wodehouse, 3rd Earl of Kimberley, (11 November 1883 – 16 April 1941), styled Lord Wodehouse from 1902 to 1932, was a British peer and Liberal politician. He was a champion polo player. Background Wodehouse was the eldest son of John Wode ...

, Major Louis Beard), losing to the Meadowbrook team (

Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Cornelius "Sonny" Vanderbilt Whitney (February 20, 1899 – December 13, 1992) was an American businessman, film producer, government official, writer and philanthropist. He was also a polo player and the owner of a significant stable of Thorough ...

Thomas Hitchcock, Sr. Thomas Hitchcock (23 November 1860 – 29 September 1941) was one of the leading American polo players during the latter part of the 19th century and a Hall of Fame horse trainer and owner known as the father of American steeplechase hor ...

, Elmer Boeseke,

Devereux Milburn Devereux Milburn (September 19, 1881 – August 15, 1942) was an American champion polo player in the early to mid twentieth century. He was one of a group of Americans known as the Big Four in international polo, winning the Westchester Cup six ...

). However, his Hurricanes team won in 1926, with Eric Leader Pedley,

Charles Thomas Irvine Roark Captain Charles Thomas Irvine "Pat" Roark (1895–1939) was an English polo player. He held a ten goal handicap at the peak of his career. Biography Early life He was born in Ireland on 2 May 1895. His father was Thomas Irvine Roark of Wexford. ...

and Robert E. Strawbridge, Jr.Horace A. Laffaye, ''Polo in the United States: A History'', Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2011, pp. 344–345 He won again in 1929 (with Charles Thomas Irvine Roark,

J. Watson Webb, Jr. James Watson Webb III (known as J. Watson Jr.) (January 9, 1916 – June 10, 2000) was an American film editor and heir to both the Havemeyer family, Havemeyer and Vanderbilt family, Vanderbilt families. Early life He was born in Syosset, New ...

and Robert E. Strawbridge, Jr.) and in 1930 (with Eric Leader Pedley, Charles Thomas Irvine Roark and Robert E. Strawbridge, Jr.). Two decades later, he won in 1948 (with James Larry Sheerin, Peter Perkins, Cecil S. Smith) and in 1949 (with James Larry Sheerin, Robert L. Cavanagh and Cecil C. Smith). In 1931, his Hurricanes team (with Pat Roark, James Colt and

Lindsay C. Howard Lindsay Coleman Howard (March 31, 1904 – September 6, 1971) was an American sportsman. Early life Lindsay was born on March 31, 1904, in San Francisco, California. He was the son of Fannie May Howard and Charles S. Howard, a prominent businessm ...

) won the Teddy Miller Memorial at the Midwick Country Club in

Alhambra, California Alhambra (, , ; from " Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains t ...

against the Argentine team ( Juan Benitz, Santiago Cavanagh, Luis Duggan,

Daniel Kearney Daniel Kearney (born 19 December 1989) is an Irish hurler who plays for Cork Championship club Sarsfields. He was a member of the Cork senior hurling team for eight seasons, during which time he usually lined out as a right wing-forward. Ea ...

and Juan Reynal).

Country sports

Beyond polo, he also went to horse races and fox hunts. He took up fox hunting while he was a student at Cambridge. In 1923, his horse Sergeant Murphy won the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, becoming the first American-owned horse to do so.

Personal life

In 1933, he married actress

Mary Duncan Mary Duncan (August 13, 1894 – May 9, 1993) was an American stage and film actress. She is best known for her performances in F.W. Murnau's '' City Girl'' (1930) and ''Morning Glory'' (1933). Early years Duncan was born in Luttrellville ...

(1895–1993). They were introduced by actress

Marion Davies Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras; January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Educated in a religious convent, Davies fled the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl ...

at a polo match. He also had an affair with

Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma Edwina Cynthia Annette Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, (''née'' Ashley; 28 November 1901 – 21 February 1960), was an English heiress, socialite, relief worker and the last vicereine of India as the wife of (the then) Rear Admiral ...

(1901–1960). His primary residence was the ''Los Incas'' mansion in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...

, where he lived with his wife, who became a philanthropist. They entertained

Saud of Saudi Arabia Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سعود بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ''Suʿūd ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'', Najdi Arabic pronunciation: ; 15 January 1902 – 23 February 1969) was King of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 ...

(1902–1969), among many distinguished guests. He suffered a stroke in 1965, and became confined home in a wheelchair until his death in 1977. He was buried in the Green Hill Cemetery in

Amsterdam, New York Amsterdam is a city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The City of Amsterdam is surrounded on the northern, eastern ...

Legacy

The character Ned Seton played by

Lew Ayres Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film '' All Quiet on the Western Fr ...

in ''

Holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

'' (dir.

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head of ...

, 1938) was loosely based on him. He was posthumously inducted into the

Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame The Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization to celebrate the sport of polo.Horace Laffaye, Dennis J. Amato, ''Polo in the United States: A History'', Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2011, p. 28/ref> Overview It ...

in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanford, Stephen 1898 births 1977 deaths Alumni of the University of Cambridge American polo players American racehorse owners and breeders People from Amsterdam, New York

Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

Sportspeople from Palm Beach, Florida Yale University alumni