August Belmont, Sr. (December 8, 1816 _ November 24, 1890) was born in Alzei, Prussia. He immigrated to New York in 1837 after becoming the American representative of the Rothschild family's banking house in Frankfort. On receiving his American citizenship, he married Caroline Perry, daughter of Commodore Matthew Perry.
In 1844, Belmont was named the consul-general of Austria at New York. He resigned in 1850 in response to what he viewed as Austria's cruel treatment of Hungary. In the years following, he served as charg d'affaires for the United States at the Hague, as well as the American minister at the same place. As a delegate to the Democratic Convention in 1860, he supported Stephen A. Douglas. He was named the Chairman of the National Democratic Committee the same year in Baltimore, and held this position until his death in 1872.
An avid sportsman, the famed Belmont Stakes thoroughbred horse race is named for him.
ugust Belmont, Sr., financier and Democratic party administrator, was born in Alzey, Germany, to Frederika Elsass Belmont and Simon Belmont, a landowner and moneylender.
Belmont was extremely successful, prospering in diverse financial ventures and serving as the fiscal agent for the federal government during the Mexican War (1846-1848).
Belmont continued to be active in social affairs and financial endeavors, becoming one of the richest men in America.
The Belmont Stakes is a prestigious horse race held yearly in June at Belmont_Park in Elmont,_New_York.
The first Belmont Stakes was held at Jerome Park in the Bronx, built in 1866 by stock market speculator Leonard_Jerome (1817-1891) and financed by August_Belmont,_Sr.
Secretariat's 1973 Belmont victory set a record not only for the race, but for the mile and a half (2.4 km) on dirt, that still stands.
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