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Jock Whitney's grandfather was William Collins Whitney, a New England lawyer who amassed a fortune in street railways, became Secretary of the Navy under President Cleveland, built up a string of race horses to extend his Wall Street rivalry with James R. Keene.
Jock Whitney's father was the late (William) Payne Whitney who inherited his fortune from his uncle, Colonel Oliver Hazard Payne of Cleveland, founded the great Greentree Stable, left it to his wife when he died on his tennis court in 1927.
Jock Whitney's uncle was the late Harry Payne Whitney, who inherited most of William Collins Whitney's fortune, organized the U. S. polo team that beat England in 1909, owned and sailed the America's Cup contender Vanitie (1910), in 1930 left the finest string of race horses in the U. S. to Cornelius Vanderbilt ("Sonny") Whitney, his son by Sculptress Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Sonny Whitney, almost as horsy as his Cousin Jock, has extended his family's business interests by becoming an active director of Pan American Airways. Last autumn he tried to become swank Long Island's Congressman on the Democratic ticket, but was easily beaten by the experienced socialite incumbent, big Robert L. Bacon. Since he watched his Equipoise come from behind in the mud to win the Pimlico Futurity of 1930, Cousin Sonny's interest in keeping up his father's stable has been real. But friends of both consider Cousin Jock far more likely to be the great turf Whitney of this generation.
Jock Whitney's mother is an important factor in this. Daughter of the McKinley-Roosevelt Secretary of State John Hay, she was always as keen about horses as Payne Whitney, has personally kept the dossiers of all the Greentree horses for many years.
Why it may be said that the Whitneys as a family, and the Jock Whitneys as individuals, are the chief props & mainstays of fine horses and horse racing in the U. S., can be gathered from the following list of places where Whitney flat-racers, steeplechasers, brood mares, stallions, polo ponies et al. were last week training, breeding, resting, munching oats:
Mr. & Mrs. Jock Whitney:
Wantage, England—his steeplechasers.
Newmarket, England—his flat-racers.
Middleton Park, Ireland—his stud farm.
Bradentown, Ireland—her steeplechasers.
Upperville, Va.—her hunters and jumpers.
Upperville, Va.—his Langollen Stables, Inc.
Lexington, Ky.—his flat-racers, Langollen Stables breeding depot.
Manhasset, L. I.—his polo ponies.
Mrs. Payne Whitney:
Red Bank, N. J.—her Greentree Stable, mostly flat-racers.
Lexington, Ky.—her breeding and training depot.
Mr. & Mrs. Sonny Whitney:
Red Bank, N. J.—his stable of flat-racers (across the road from his aunt's).
Wheatley Hills, L. I.—his polo ponies, her flat-racers.
Lexington, Ky.—Their breeding and training stables.
Mrs. Joan Whitney Payson:
Manhasset, L. I.—her new stable of flat-racers.
At Saratoga, N. Y., Hialeah Park, Fla., Belmont Park. L. I. and all other important U. S. tracks are stables of all Whitneys for use before and during race-meets.