William Knapp Thorn, Jr. (April 10, 1848 – November 16, 1910) was an American champion polo player and the grandson of

Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

.Horace A. Laffaye, ''The Evolution of Polo'', Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2009, p. 27 Also, he was a hunter and horse-rider. He was one of the best-known sportsmen in the United States and France.

Biography

He was born in 1848 to William Knapp Thorn and Emily Almira Vanderbilt Thorn. Thorn received his LLB from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1870. Thorn participated in the 1886

International Polo Cup The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in polo that was created in 1876 and was played for by teams from the United States and United Kingdom. The match has varied in length over the years ...

with teammates

Foxhall Parker Keene Foxhall Parker Keene (December 18, 1867 – September 25, 1941) was an American thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder, a world and Olympic gold medallist in polo and an amateur tennis player. He was rated the best all-around polo playe ...

and

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 ...

Thorn hunted at Pau, France beginning in 1887 along with his cousin Alfred Torrance, who had hunted there from 1882. Thorn made Pau his primary residence after the deaths of his sister, Emma Sophia Thorn King Parrish, his cousin Alfred Torrance and his father - all between February and May 1887. It was at Pau that he raised his sister's orphaned children; Louise Thorn King Baring, Emilie Thorn King Post and Herbert Thorn King. Thorn's aunt, Sophia Johnson Vanderbilt Torrance also had a villa at Pau (now demolished). Mrs. Torrance donated the funds to build the Pau Hunt kennels, stables and lodging for the Pau Hunt whip in memory of her son Alfred. Thorn served on the committee of the Pau Hunt and a was a member of the

English Club English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. He was Master of the Pau Hounds from 1888 -1890. He served as the Pau Hunt Committee Chairman from 1903 until his death.< Thorn along with James Gordon Bennett, Jr. were founders of the defunct Pau Polo Club. He contribute to the development of cars and motorsport in the region of Pau. He and Georges Nitot founded the Automobile-club of Bearn, which organised the first motor races in the southwest of France in 1899. This race became the famous

Pau Grand Prix The Pau Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Pau) is a motor race held in Pau, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of southwestern France. The French Grand Prix was held at Pau in 1930, leading to the annual Pau Grand Prix being inaugurat ...

which is still popular today. Thorn died in Pau on November 16, 1910 and was interred at Green-Wood Cemetery on January 9, 1911.

References

External links

Thorn Family Gravesite

Torrance Family Gravesite
1848 births 1910 deaths American polo players International Polo Cup William Knapp Columbia Law School alumni 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American businesspeople People from New York City {{US-polo-bio-stub