Whitney Tower (June 30, 1923 – February 11, 1999) was an American journalist reporting on

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 ...

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 ...

and a president of the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

Career

From 1948 to 1954, Tower worked as a sports reporter for ''The Cincinnati Enquirer''. He then joined the fledgling ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' magazine where he served as horse racing editor for twenty-two years during which time he received the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's magazine writing award. In 1976, Tower, along with E. Barry Ryan, founded ''Classic'' magazine, a publication dedicated to Thoroughbred and

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

racing as well as

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrianism, equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, Show hunter, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including th ...

events. The magazine reported on horse racing matters not only from

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

but from around the world as well and won Media Eclipse Awards in 1976-77. Following the magazine's closure, Tower joined the National Museum of Racing in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

, serving as its president from 1982 to 1989 and for ten years was chairman of the Museum's Hall of Fame committee.

Personal life

Whitney Tower and his first wife, Frances Cheston Train, had four children: *Alexandra "Alix" Tower Thorne, formerly married to Daniel Kempner Thorne,; also previously married to Jonathan Marshall Hornblower. *Whitney Tower Jr. *Frances Tower-Thacher, widow of the late construction fraud lawyer, Thomas "Toby" Thacher II. *Harry Payne Tower, who married Hilary Harlow. With his third wife, Lucy Niblack Lyle Tower had two more children: Aurora and Alfred Tower. In 1968, Tower married Joan Baker Spear, the former wife of ''Life'' photographer Eliot Elisofon. Tower spent time writing articles in

Aiken, South Carolina Aiken is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, in western South Carolina. It is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the Sout ...

, home to the Aiken Steeplechase Association and famous for the

flat 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 ...

and

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

Thoroughbred horses that trained a
The Aiken Training Track
He and his wife decided to make Aiken their home and moved into a mansion called

Joye Cottage Joye Cottage is one of the oldest, and largest winter retreats in Aiken, South Carolina. Most of the sprawling property dates to 1897, when William Collins Whitney purchased the property and remodeled it extensively. It now includes a main hous ...

built at the beginning of the 20th century by great-grandfather

William Collins Whitney William Collins Whitney (July 5, 1841February 2, 1904) was an American political leader and financier and a prominent descendant of the John Whitney family. He served as Secretary of the Navy in the first administration of President Grover Clev ...

. While living there, the couple became instrumental in the creation of the

Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum The Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1977 as a tribute to the famous flat racing and steeplechase Thoroughbred horses that trained in Aiken, South Carolina. The museum was a project of the local Jaycees, ai ...

. Whitney Tower was a resident of Saratoga Springs, where he died in 1999 of complications from a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

. He was survived by his third wife, Lucy Niblack Lyle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tower, Whitney 1923 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American non-fiction writers American magazine editors American magazine publishers (people) American sportswriters Eclipse Award winners Harvard College alumni Horse racing writers and broadcasters People from Aiken, South Carolina St. George's School (Rhode Island) alumni The Cincinnati Enquirer people

Whitney Tower Whitney Tower (June 30, 1923 – February 11, 1999) was an American journalist reporting on Thoroughbred horse racing and a president of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Career From 1948 to 1954, Tower worked as a sports reporter ...