Greentree is a 400-acre (1.6 km) estate in Manhasset , on Long Island , New York . The estate was constructed for businessman Payne Whitney in 1904 and was owned by members of the Whitney family for much of the 20th century. It is currently owned by the Greentree Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit organization.
17-648: Payne Whitney purchased the estate for his bride, Helen Julia Hay , in 1904. As with other Gold Coast mansions , the original estate was pieced together. The five family farms that were purchased to make up the new estate were the Mitchell, Ketchum, Brinkerhoff, Skidmore, and Schenck farms. Later, John Hay Whitney and his second wife, Betsey , occupied the main house, where Mrs. Whitney remained in residence there until her death in 1998. Radio and TV talk show pioneers John Reagan ("Tex" McCrary) and his wife, model and movie star Jinx Falkenburg , intermittently lived on
34-549: A large stable of horses. Greentree Stable had a training base at Aiken, South Carolina , while Greentree Farm in Lexington, Kentucky was established in 1925 as its breeding arm. After Whitney's steeplechase horse won the 1911 Greentree Cup race at Great Neck, New York , it was decided to use the Greentree name for several of their properties. Following Payne Whitney's death in 1927, his widow, Helen Hay Whitney , took over
51-628: A program honoring important Thoroughbred tracks and racing stables, the Pennsylvania Railroad named its baggage car #5859 the Greentree Stable . In January 1928, Thomas W. Murphy, a renowned harness racing trainer, became head trainer for Greentree Stable. Murphy stayed until the end of the 1930 Pimlico fall meeting, and was replaced by James G. Rowe, Jr. Trained by Rowe, the Whitney stable's colt Twenty Grand earned
68-559: A substantial inheritance from his father, William inherited $ 63,000,000 from his uncle, Col. Oliver Hazard Payne . Amongst his many investments, he possessed major holdings in banking, tobacco, railroads, mining and oil. He was also a member of the board of directors and/or an executive officer of several large corporations, including the City Bank New York , and the Great Northern Paper Company , and
85-600: Is reflected in the form of his name associated with several of his philanthropic endeavors. Whitney was educated at the Groton School . He attended Yale College , where he was a member of Skull and Bones and Delta Kappa Epsilon , and captained the Yale rowing team. After graduating in 1898, Whitney then studied law at the Harvard Law School , receiving his Bachelor of Laws in 1901. In addition to
102-769: The Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year in 1931 and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1957. Hall of Fame trainer John M. Gaver, Sr. , who won the Belmont Stakes for the stable three times, trained Devil Diver , Champion Handicap Horse in 1943–1944 and the 1953 Horse of the Year Tom Fool . Both horses were also voted into
119-677: The Hall of Fame: Devil Diver in 1980 and Tom Fool in 1960. Helen Whitney's steeplechasers won the American Grand National four times (1926–1928 and 1937). Her horse Jolly Roger (who won the Grand National twice) was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1965. Greentree Stable also had polo ponies and steeplechasers , one of which won the 1946 American Grand National. Other steeplechasers raced in England and Ireland. After
136-554: The Jock Whitney estate with their sons from 1947 to 1977. The estate was later divided, with gifts of land being made to several organizations. The remaining 408 acres – including the family home – are run by the Greentree Foundation, as a conference center dedicated to international justice and human rights issues. The Greentree Foundation was founded in 1982 by Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney , and has owned
153-580: The Northern Finance Corporation. A horse racing enthusiast in the tradition of his father and brother, William's Greentree Stable , named for their Long Island estate, was a very significant racing and breeding operation for thoroughbred horses. Throughout his life, William Payne Whitney was involved in philanthropic work for a variety of causes. A trustee of the New York Public Library , in 1923 he gave
170-586: The United Kingdom ) John Hay . Their Stanford White -designed mansion, Payne Whitney House at 972 Fifth Avenue, was a wedding gift from his maternal uncle, Oliver Hazard Payne . The couple also had an estate, Greentree , in Manhasset, New York . Together, they had two children: On September 20, 1911, Whitney was aboard the RMS Olympic when it was rammed by the warship HMS Hawke. Olympic
187-548: The Yale Endowment Fund shortly before his death, sufficient estate funds were given to enable Yale's construction of the 9½ story Payne Whitney Gymnasium that too was completed in 1932. As a tribute to him, a road in Manhasset was named after him, Payne Whitney Lane. In 1902, Whitney married Helen Julia Hay (1875–1944), the daughter of then- United States Secretary of State (and former U.S. Ambassador to
SECTION 10
#1732776626672204-702: The library $ 12,000,000. Whitney made charitable contributions to the rowing team at his alma mater, Yale University, including donating funds to build a dormitory for the crew. His will bequeathed more than $ 20 million to establish the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic at Cornell University 's medical school , now called Weill Cornell Medicine , and New York Hospital , now New York–Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. Smaller amounts to other educational and medical institutions. Although he had contributed $ 1,000,000 to
221-538: The operation. Her son John Hay Whitney was also involved in Thoroughbred racing especially so with his wife Liz Whitney . Daughter Joan Whitney Payson raced horses under the nom de course Manhasset Stable . On their mother's death, they continued to build on Greentree Stable's success. Greentree Stable horses won many important steeplechase and flat races throughout the United States. As part of
238-641: The property since 2000. In 2004 the Greentree Foundation auctioned impressionist and modern artworks from the Whitney collection at Sothebys. The estate has hosted the Manhasset negotiations , a round of talks between Morocco and the Polisario Front, August 10–12, 2007, as part of a set of UN-led meetings centering on the future of Western Sahara , among others. 40°47′23″N 73°41′32″W / 40.78972°N 73.69222°W / 40.78972; -73.69222 Payne Whitney William Payne Whitney (March 20, 1876 – May 25, 1927)
255-487: Was an American businessman and member of the influential Whitney family . He inherited a fortune and enlarged it through business dealings, then devoted much of his money and efforts to a wide variety of philanthropic purposes. His will included funds to expand the New York Hospital , now called NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital , where the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic was established. William Payne Whitney
272-493: Was born on March 20, 1876, to William Collins Whitney (1841–1904) and Flora Payne (1842–1893). His siblings included: elder brother, Harry Payne Whitney (1872–1930), Pauline Payne Whitney (1874–1916), and younger sister, Dorothy Payne Whitney (1887–1968). After his mother's death and his father's remarriage (of which he apparently disapproved), Whitney essentially dropped the first name he shared with his father, and became commonly known simply as Payne Whitney. This choice
289-626: Was the sister ship of the RMS Titanic . Whitney died in 1927 at his Greentree estate. Greentree Stable Greentree Stable , in Red Bank, New Jersey , was a major American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm established in 1914 by Payne Whitney of the Whitney family of New York City . Payne Whitney operated a horse farm and stable at Saratoga Springs, New York with his brother Harry Payne Whitney , who also had
#671328