William George Chandler (1880–1946) was a British

bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookm ...

, and the owner of

Walthamstow Stadium Walthamstow Stadium was a greyhound racing track in the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London.BBC News - Walthamstow race track to close' It was regarded as the leading greyhound racing stadium in Britain following the closure of Whit ...

, a greyhound racing track in north east London.

Early life

William Chandler was born in

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. As a part of Shoreditch, it is often considered to be part of the East End – the historic core of wider East London. It was historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. It li ...

, London.

Career

He became the leading bookmaker at

White City Greyhounds White City Greyhounds was the greyhound racing operation held at White City Stadium in London. The venue was regarded as the sport's primary track during its existence. History Origins After the 1908 Summer Olympics the White City area was us ...

based in London's

White City Stadium White City Stadium was a stadium located in White City, London, England. Built for the 1908 Summer Olympics, it hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and other sports like swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock ...

. Chandler may have started an illegal betting business in the 1920s, was a shareholder and director in a greyhound racetrack in

Hackney Wick Hackney Wick is a neighbourhood in east London, England. The area forms the south-eastern part of the district of Hackney, and also of the wider London Borough of Hackney. Adjacent areas of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets are sometimes a ...

. In the early 1930, Chandler sold his shares to buy Crooked Billet, an unlicensed greyhound track in Walthamstow, which he redeveloped as

Personal life

Children

Chandler had eight children, including five sons. After his death in 1946, Charles and Percy managed Walthamstow Stadium, and the bookmaking business passed to Victor and Jack (now

BetVictor BetVictor is an online gambling company headquartered in Gibraltar. Founded in 1946, it offers products such as sports betting and online casino. The company is currently owned by Michael Tabor. History The company was founded by William Ch ...

), and Ronnie trained greyhounds. Charles Chandler became general manager of Walthamstow Stadium, and married Frances Morrill, one of three sisters who all married Chandler brothers, Betty to Victor and Ann to Percy. Percy was catering Manager and died in 1984. Frances Chandler (1919 - 4 February 2015) was a leading greyhound owner, and her dogs included ''Greyhound of the Year''

Magourna Reject Magourna Reject was a racing greyhound during the 1950s. He won two classic races and was one of the leading greyhounds of the decade. Early life He was bred by John Murphy in Coachford and whelped during March 1950. Racing career Magourna Reje ...

and 1971 Irish Greyhound Derby winner Sole Aim.

Grandchildren

Victor Sr. died in 1974, and his son

Victor Chandler Victor William Chandler (born 18 April 1951) is a British businessman, bookmaker, and former chairman of the company BetVictor, legally Victor Chandler International. Early life Chandler is the son of Victor Chandler Sr, and the grandson of ...

Jr. took charge of the bookmaking business. Charles Sr. died in 1976 and his son Charles Henry Chandler Jr. was a director of Waltamstow, chairman of Racecourse Promoters and a Director of the

Greyhound Racing Association The Greyhound Racing Association was a UK-based private company founded in 1925 and existed until 2019. It was involved in the management of sports venues, notably greyhound racing stadia. The GRA was responsible for introducing Greyhound racing ...

. Jack Alan Chandler, William George Chandler, Philip Henry Chandler, Robert Douglas Chandler, Vicki Ermelli (née Chandler) and Annie Aslett (née Chandler) were all directors of Walthamstow Stadium. Philip was also the manager of Charlie Chan's nightclub underneath the stadium, which ran from 1984 until its closure in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, William 1880 births 1946 deaths British company founders Bookmakers People in greyhound racing