Thomas Hitchcock (1860-1941)
"Father of American Steeplechase Horse Racing" of Old Westbury, L.I., New York
He was born in New York City and was educated in England at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he won a blue playing polo on the same team as the 1st Earl Haig. In 1877, with August Belmont Jr. among others, he organized the first polo match on Long Island. Becoming one of the first 10-goal players in the U.S., Hitchcock's efforts resulted in the formation of the Meadowbrook Polo Club in 1881, and he went on to become a member of the U.S. team in the first international polo match to compete for the Westchester Cup. He established the Aiken (Fox) Hounds, was one of the founders of the New York Horse Show, and is considered to be the "Father of American Steeplechase Horse Racing". During World War I, he served as a Captain with the Aviation Section of the U.S. Signal Corps. In 1891, he married Louisa, granddaughter of William W. Corcoran, co-founder of the Riggs Banks and founder of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. They were the parents of four children. They lived for the spring and autumn at "Broad Hollow Farm" Old Westbury, L.I., and wintered in Aiken, South Carolina.
