Evening star., 1944-09-25

Mrs. Payne VIII
First Lady of An
| Father Served as
Secretary Of Stote
| For Mckinley
Mrs. Payne Whitney, the first lady
of the American turf, who started
her social career with Washington
debut when her father, John Hay,
was President McKinley's Secretary
Of State, died yesterday in New
York. She was 68 years old.
The owner Of Twenty Grand and
Shut Out, Kentucky Derby winners
Of 1881 and 1912, Mrs. Whitney had
not been seen often in her box at
the races in the past two years due
to declining health, but she contin-
ued her keen interest in the fortunes
of her horses to the end.
Mrs. Whitney was one of the
Wealthiest women in the world.
When her husband died in 1927 he
left her the largest estate ever to be
recorded in the inheritance tax rolls
of New York. 1t was valued at
$200,973, ,158.
| Washington knew her as a beau
tiful young girl, shy Charles Dana
Gibson type with her hair piled
high. Her father, who had been
President Lincoln's secretary, lived
in lowered red-brick Victorian
house on Sixteenth street across
from st. Johns Church, where the
Hay-Adams Hotel now stands.
Presented in London.
She already had been introduced
at the court Of Queen Victoria in
London where her father was Am
bassador to the Court of ST. James's.
She also had been presented in
Rome.
After her Washington debut she
married in 1902 the man considered
the most eligible bachelor of his day
The ceremony took place here and
President Theodore Roosevelt at
tended. Payne Whitney was the heir
of his uncle, Oliver Payne, an Ohio
lndustrlalist, under an agreement
the uncle had made with his father,
William c. Whitney, f1nancier who
served as Secretary Of the Navy in
Grover Cleveland's cabinet. Mr..
Payne left his money to his name
sake and Mr.. Whitney's estate went
to his older son, Harry Payne Whit
ney. Mr.. Paynes fortune was the
larger. But the one left to Harry
Payne Whitney. whose colors be-
came even more familiar in the big
races, was not small one. When
he died in 1880 he left an estate of
500, 900, 900. His son, Cornelius VAN
derbilt Whitney, has continued his
racing stable.
Mrs. Whitney leaves two children
Her son, Col. John Hay Jock"
Whitney, is overseas with the 9th
Air Force. He recently escaped from
the Germans after being held pris-
oner for two weeks. He was last
reported in Rome. Her daughter,
Mrs. Charles Shipman Payson, and
her daughter-in-laW, Betsy Gushing
Whitney. the former wife of James
Roosevelt, were with her when she
died in the New York Hospital,
which was built with a 10000 900
donation from her husband.
Attended Hunt Meets.
Mrs Whitney as a girl in Wash
! ington attended the hunt meets in
nearby Virginia and Maryland. She
said later she herself was the
worlds worst and most reckless
rider"
Her interest in steeplechases led
to her purchase in 1909 of Webb
! Carter. 5-year-old whose record
was far from great But he went
down in turf history as the first
to carry the cherry and black silks
Of the Greentree Stables, one of the
most successful of American racing
establishments,
1t was not until after the last
war that the Greentree Stable went
IN for fiat racers. The establish
ment. which was Mrs. Whitney's in
terest. not her husbands, had been
very successful with the jumpers.
One Of them. jolly Roger. was a
time winner of the American
Grand National at Belmont.
s125.000 Offer Rejected.
In 1881 Twenty Grand won the
Kentucky Derby and took eight of
his ten subsequent starts. His earn
ings that year. coupled with his
winnings as 2-year-old totaled
$3.50 900. Mrs. Whitney had turned
down sl25 900 for the horse.
Her husband took a little credit
for Twenty Grand He had given
her the horses English-bred sire, St.
Germans. as present.
In 1912 the Greentree Stable led
all others with net take of s408 900.
Jockeys wearing the Greentree
silks had great season that year.
Shut Out won the Kentucky Derby.
the Belmont, the American Classic
the Travers and the Blue Grass. He
went on to win races last year
bringing his total to $240,00O. The
Rhymer, horse saved from death
by blood transfusions, was second
money winner with $4,000 total
Keen Interest in Racing.
Mrs. Whitney showed how keen
was her interest in racing in a rare
interview she gave to Amy Porter of
the Associated Press, published in
The Star in l943.
She had read in New York news
paper that Mrs. John D. Hertz would
be the first woman to win two Ken
lucky Derbys if Count Fleet tri-
umphed that year.
Doesn't anybody. remember Twen-
pInNae G=I