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33-718: According to the official history at Keeneland racetrack, the Ben Ali (pronounced Ah-Lie ) is named for James Ben Ali Haggin (1822–1914), a lawyer who made a fortune during the California Gold Rush and who used much of that money to create the biggest horse breeding farm in the world: the Rancho Del Paso near Sacramento, California . He also owned Elmendorf Farm in Lexington, Kentucky with its thousands of acres of prime Kentucky bluegrass. Haggin became

66-663: A jockey Most wins by a horse trainer Most wins by an owner James Ben Ali Haggin James Ben Ali Haggin (December 9, 1822 – September 12, 1914) was an American attorney , rancher , investor , art collector , and a major owner and breeder in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing . Haggin made a fortune in the aftermath of the California Gold Rush and was a multi-millionaire by 1880. Those who recounted James Ben Ali Haggin's appearance often noted his short stature and "slightly Oriental appearance handed down from his Turkish ancestors". Haggin

99-739: A Kentuckian who had emigrated to California . Haggin and Tevis acquired the Rancho Del Paso land grant near Sacramento. The two invested in the mining business with George Hearst as one of their partners. Hearst, Haggin, Tevis and Co. became one of the largest mining companies in the United States; its operations included the Ontario silver mine in Park City, Utah , the Homestake Mine in South Dakota , and with Marcus Daly ,

132-523: A great research center for American history in congruence with the department's rise to prominence. Until the decade of the 1960s, The Bancroft Library continued to focus exclusively on the history of the American West, particularly the borderlands of northern Mexico and the southern United States, from Florida to California, an area associated with the research interests of long-time directors Bolton (1918–1940) and George P. Hammond (1946–1966). In

165-464: A history gradually assumed more definite form, Bancroft had as yet no idea of writing a history himself. As the collecting proceeded his subject enlarged, until the territory covered was the entire western part of North America from Panama to Alaska, including the Rocky Mountain region, all Central America and Mexico, or about one-twelfth of the earth's entire surface. The bibliophile reached

198-401: A horse breeding farm and concentrated his breeding efforts at his Elmendorf Farm in Lexington, Kentucky . Haggin had acquired Elmendorf in 1897 and until his death in 1914 worked to develop it into the largest horse breeding operation in the United States of its era. Haggin owned the colt Tyrant which in 1885 he sent to compete as a three-year-old on the U.S. East Coast where he won

231-723: A law office in Sacramento. They moved to San Francisco in 1853. He built a large and impressive Nob Hill mansion on the east side of Taylor Street between Clay and Washington streets, which stood until the earthquake and fire of 1906. It was to decorate the walls of the 61 rooms of this mansion that Haggin began the core of the family art collection that would eventually be housed in the Haggin Museum (named for his son Louis Terah Haggin) in Stockton , California. Haggin and Tevis married sisters, daughters of Colonel Lewis Sanders,

264-539: A mine of primary historical material for all western America, a collection which could not even remotely be imitated, at no matter what cost, was acquired by the University on November 24, 1905, at a cost of $ 250,000. Of this amount Mr. H. H. Bancroft, whose ingenuity, perseverance and skill created this collection, donated $ 100,000. Of the remaining $ 150,000. $ 50,000 was paid by the Regents on November 24, 1905; $ 50,000

297-641: A noteworthy breeder of great racehorses and a fervent supporter of the sport. Haggin owned the Hall of Famers, Salvator and the filly, Firenzi . The first running of the Ben Ali took place in 1917 at the Lexington Race Course where it was raced through 1932 after which the track closed. It did not run again until it was revived at Keeneland in 1937. Decidedly , the winner of the 1962 Kentucky Derby , won this race in 1963, and Pistols and Roses in 1994. Speed record Margins Most wins by

330-576: A view to ascertaining its condition and, so far as may be, its marketable value." In his report, Thwaites characterized the collection of documents, manuscripts, books, pamphlets, and other materials, estimating the total value at upwards of $ 300,000. The report itself was published November 14, 1905, as a 20-page pamphlet. The Report of the Secretary to the Regents of the University of California, year ending June 30, 1906 noted, "The Bancroft Library, incomparably superior to any other existing collection as

363-496: Is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley . It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft , in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. The collection at that time consisted of 50,000 volumes of materials on the history of California and western North America. It is now the largest such collection in the world. The library's current building,

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396-775: Is to be paid November 24, 1906, and the remaining $ 50,000 in November 1907." On June 11. 1907, the regents of the University approved the Constitution of the Academy of Pacific Coast History, submitted by the Bancroft Library Commission, thus making the Library itself "the indispensable nucleus of a great research library, like that of the British Museum," which has for its object "the promotion of

429-703: The Anaconda Copper Company in Montana . The James Ben Ali Haggin Papers, 1887-1914 , are kept at the Bancroft Library at the University of California at Berkeley. Haggin purchased the Rancho Del Paso horse farm near Sacramento, California in 1859. He made it one of the country's most important horse breeding and Thoroughbred racing operations whose horses competed from coast-to-coast. In 1905, Haggin stopped using Rancho De Paso as

462-615: The Beat Generation in San Francisco, such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti , Michael McClure , Philip Lamantia , Philip Whalen , and William Everson (Brother Antoninus), and contemporary authors such as John Mortimer , Seán Ó Faoláin , Maxine Hong Kingston and Joan Didion . From June 2005 to October 2008, the library underwent a total renovation and seismic retrofitting. Normal operations have resumed since January 20, 2009. The library's director from 1995 through June 2011

495-716: The 1950s and 1960s Bancroft added the University of California archives and the Regional Oral History Office , both significant to the history of California. In 1970, under new director James D. Hart (1970–1990), Bancroft's scope expanded dramatically when the University Library's Department of Rare Books and Special Collections was merged into it. These included the Tebtunis Archive of ancient papyri, excavated by an Egyptian expedition funded by Phoebe Apperson Hearst in 1899–1900 and

528-568: The Bancroft Library was enriched beyond measure. In 1869, it is reported that Bancroft held, including pamphlets, about 16,000 volumes. These were lodged on the fifth floor of the Market Street building, the original home of the library having been a corner of the second story of the building on Merchant Street. Bancroft now decided to begin literary work, but the collecting went rapidly forward without interruption. Trembling for

561-592: The Doe Annex, is in the center of the university's main campus, and was completed in 1950. The Bancroft Library's inception dates back to 1859, when William H. Knight, who was then in Bancroft's service as editor of statistical works relative to the Pacific coast , was requested to clear the shelves around Bancroft's desk to receive every book in the store having reference to this country. Looking through his stock he

594-485: The collection had reached one thousand volumes, I fancied I had them all; when it had grown to 5,000, I saw it was but begun." (177) Finally, special journeys were made to all parts of Europe, as well as the Americas, in the interest of his collection. "And not only was every nook and corner of the world thus ramsacked, but whole libraries were purchased as opportunity offered." While his vague ideas of materials for writing

627-537: The daughter of Ibrahim Ben Ali , a Turkish army officer. On December 28, 1846, Haggin married Eliza Jane Sanders of Natchez, Mississippi with whom he had five children. She died in 1893. On December 30, 1897, the seventy-five-year-old Haggin married twenty-eight-year-old Margaret Voorhies at her stepfather's residence in Versailles, Kentucky . Miss Voorhies was a niece of his first wife. Haggin died September 12, 1914, at his Newport, Rhode Island , residence and

660-448: The eastern states, without special pains or search, he secured whatever fell under his observation in second-hand stores of New York, Boston and Philadelphia. He had collected in all not far from a 1,000 volumes and had begun to feel satisfied. "When, however, (he declares) I visited London and Paris, and rummaged the enormous stocks of second-hand books in the hundreds of stores of that class, my eyes began to open. ... And so it was, when

693-696: The largest such collection in the Western Hemisphere; the papers of Mark Twain , the object of the Mark Twain Project, which since 1965 has been editing everything written by him; a large collection of medieval manuscripts, incunabula, and rare printed books from the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries; and the literary manuscripts of such California writers as Ina Coolbrith (California's first poet laureate), Jack London , Ambrose Bierce , George Sterling , William Randolph Hearst , Rube Goldberg , C. S. Forester , figures associated with

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726-534: The number at 40,000 as a total. For many years, the collection had been offered for sale, Bancroft holding it at US$ 250,000, which is but a fractional part of the original cost and yet doubtless above the then market price, which Rowell estimated at $ 140,000, if the complete subject index be included. In 1887, a bill was presented in the State Legislature to purchase the library for the State for $ 250,000, but

759-733: The photographic morgues of the San Francisco Call-Bulletin and the San Francisco Examiner ), and over 20,000 historical maps. Although the library itself is open to anyone who wishes to use it, access to some of its more valuable materials is restricted to researchers with a demonstrated need. The library website and the Online Archive of California offer access to online catalogs as well as to numerous collections in digital form. The library's Bancroft Gallery offers changing public exhibits from

792-402: The prestigious Withers and Belmont Stakes , the latter becoming the third leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series. The following year his colt Ben Ali won the 1886 Kentucky Derby . At Rancho Del Paso Haggin bred Comanche and Africander , colts which won the 1893 and 1903 Belmont Stakes respectively. Haggin was the eldest of eight children of Terah Temple and Adeline (Ben Ali) Haggin,

825-615: The proposition was quickly defeated. Some years later, the University of Chicago considered buying it; naturally there was strong sentiment against permitting the Library to be removed from California and the Pacific States. In 1905, Reuben Gold Thwaites , Librarian of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and one of the foremost book experts in America, was invited to examine the Bancroft Library, "with

858-411: The safety of the library through fear of fire, he lent a willing ear to his nephew's proposal to absorb the fifth floor for the purposes of the manufacturing department, of which he had charge. He would erect on some convenient spot a fireproof library building. Among the places considered were Oakland, San Rafael, Sonoma, San Mateo, and Menlo Park; but after a careful canvass and consideration, he selected

891-496: The settled determination to make his collection as complete as it was possible to make it. Neither time, nor money, nor personal attention would be spared. Agents were appointed in all the leading book marts of the world; no book must be lost because of its high price; no opportunity was to be missed to obtain everything in existence on the subject. By buying up at auction in European cities' individual collections, and even libraries,

924-508: The study of the political, social, commercial, and the industrial history, and the ethnology, geography, and literature of the Pacific Coast of America, and the publication of monographs, historical documents, and other historical material relating thereto. The university named history chairperson Herbert E. Bolton its founding director, a position he held for the library's first 22 years. In his dual capacity, he made Bancroft Library

957-502: The well known site on Valencia Street , near its junction with Mission. The library was moved to the building October 9, 1881. There the library stood for years. When the question of State purchase was taken up, the Bancroft Library was said to contain from 50,000 to 60,000 volumes of books, pamphlets, maps and manuscripts. Joseph Cummings Rowell, Librarian of the State University, after careful personal examination, estimated

990-656: Was Charles B. Faulhaber, professor of medieval Spanish literature at Berkeley. In September 2011, Elaine Tennant, a medieval and early modern specialist in the German and Scandinavian departments at the University of California, Berkeley, became the James D. Hart Director of The Bancroft Library. Bancroft is one of the largest special collections libraries in the United States. In 2019, it holds more than 600,000 books, 55,000 linear feet of archival and manuscript collections, almost eight million photographic prints and negatives (including

1023-441: Was agreeably surprised to find some 50 or 75 volumes. There was no fixed purpose at this time to collect a library. Noticing accidentally some old pamphlets in an antiquarian book-store, he thought to add these to his nucleus; then looked more attentively through other stores and stalls in San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland and Victoria, purchasing a copy of every book relating to his great and growing subject. During his next visit to

Ben Ali Stakes - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-467: Was born in Harrodsburg , Mercer County , Kentucky , a descendant of one of the state's pioneer families who had settled there in 1775 and a descendant of Ibrahim Ben Ali , who was an early American settler of Turkish origin. He graduated from Centre College at Danville, Kentucky , then entered the practice of law. In October 1850, he joined a Kentucky acquaintance, Lloyd Tevis , in opening

1089-829: Was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in New York . His grandson, James Ben Ali Haggin III , was a portrait painter and stage designer. His grandson, Richard Lounsbery , was a businessman and amateur painter who established the Richard Lounsbery Foundation . His descendants in Thoroughbred racing include Louis Lee Haggin II and William Haggin Perry . Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library

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