John Hay Whitney (August 27, 1904 in Ellsworth, Maine – February 8, 1982), colloquially known as "Jock" Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family. August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ellsworth is a city located in Hancock County, Maine, United States. ... Official language(s) None (English de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The office of United States Ambassador (or Minister) to the United Kingdom (also known as Ambassador to the Court of St. ... The New York Herald Tribune was a newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald. ... The most prominent members of the American Whitney family begins with William Collins Whitney (1841-1904), a descendant of John Whitney (1592-1673), an English immigrant who settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. ...

Family

Whitney was a descendant of John Whitney, a Puritan who settled in Massachusetts in 1635, as well as of William Bradford, who came over on the Mayflower, and his two grandfathers were presidential cabinet members. His father was Payne Whitney, and grandfather was William C. Whitney. This article describes a highly specialized aspect of its subject. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... Events February 10 - The Académie française in Paris is expanded to become a national academy for the artistic elite. ... Signing of the Mayflower Compact William Bradford (1590 – May 9, 1657) was a leader of the Pilgrim settlers of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, and became Governor of the Plymouth Colony. ... Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall (1882) The Mayflower was the ship that transported the Pilgrims from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in what would become the United States, in 1620. ... William Payne Whitney (March 20, 1876 - May 25, 1927) was a wealthy American businessman and member of the influential Whitney family. ... William Collins Whitney (July 5, 1841 - February 2, 1904) was an American political leader and financier and founder of the prominent Whitney family. ...

The Payne Whitneys lived around the corner from James B. Duke, and his wife and daughter Doris. Whitney's uncle, Oliver Hazard Payne, a business partner of John D. Rockefeller, arranged the buyout of Duke's competitors to create the American Tobacco Co.. James Buchanan Duke (1856 - 1925) was a U.S. tobacco industrialist. ... Doris Duke, (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American heiress and philanthropist. ... John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. ... The American Tobacco Company was founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke as a merger between a number of tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter. ...

"Jock" Whitney attended Yale College. He also joined Delta Kappa Epsilon, as his father had, grandfather, and great-uncle had all been oarsmen at Yale, and his father was captain of the crew in 1898. While at Yale, he allegedly coined the term "crew cut" for the haircut that now bears the name. For other uses, see Yale (disambiguation). ... Delta Kappa Epsilon (ΔΚΕ; also pronounced D K E or Deke) is the second oldest secret college mens fraternity of New England origin. ... Comedian Drew Carey sports a typical crew cut. ...

After graduating in 1926, Whitney went to Oxford University, but the death of his father necessitated his returning home. He inherited a trust fund of $20 million (approximately $210 million in 2005 dollars), and later inherited four times that amount from his mother. 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ...

Sporting life

Whitney inherited his family's love of horses, a predilection he shared with his sister, Joan Whitney Payson. Jock and his sister ran Greentree Stables, owned by their mother. In 1928, he became the youngest member ever elected to the Jockey Club. Joan Whitney Payson (February 5, 1903 – October 4, 1975) was an American heiress, businesswoman, philanthropist, patron of the arts and art collector, and a member of the prominent Whitney family. ... Greentree Farm in Lexington, Kentucky was an American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding business that was established c. ...

In the 1929 Grand National, his horse twisted a plate and was beaten by a nose at the finish. Alhough Whitney entered the Grand National annually, he never again came close to winning. The Grand National is the most valuable National Hunt handicap horse race in the United Kingdom. ...

He entered four horses in the Kentucky Derby in the 1930s, "Stepenfetchit," which finished 3rd in 1932, "Overtime," which finished 5th in 1933, "Singing Wood," which finished 8th in 1934, and "Heather Broom," which finished 3rd in 1939. Jock was an outstanding polo player, with a four-goal handicap, and it was as a sportsman that he made the cover of the March 27, 1933 issue of Time magazine. Churchill Downs racetrack, 1998 The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... now. ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in leap years). ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

Business ventures

Freeport Texas Co.

In 1929, Whitney was hired as a clerk at the firm of Lee, Higginson, where he met Langbourne Meade Williams, Jr., the son of the founder of Freeport Texas Co., a sulfur mining company. Williams enlisted his aid in ousting the chairman of his family's company by buying shares of the company. Whitney soon was Freeport's biggest shareholder, enabling Williams to sack the chairman and his management team. Williams became Freeport's president in 1933 and Whitney was appointed Chairman of the Board. 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... General Name, Symbol, Number sulfur, S, 16 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 3, p Appearance lemon yellow Atomic mass 32. ...

Technicolor

Whitney invested in several Broadway shows, including Peter Arno's 1931 revue Here Goes the Bride, a failure that cost him $100,000, but was more successful as one of the backers of Life with Father. Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... Peter Arno (1904 - 1968) was a U.S. cartoonist. ... Life with Father is a 1947 comedy movie which tells the true story of a stockbroker who wants to be master of his house, but finds his wife and his children ignoring him, until they start making demands for him to change his own life. ...

An October 1934 Fortune article on the Technicolor Corporation noted Whitney's interest in pictures. He had met Technicolor head Herbert Kalmus at the Saratoga race track. In 1932, Technicolor achieved a breakthrough with its three-strip process. RKO Pictures' Merian C. Cooper approached Whitney with the idea of investing in Technicolor. They joined forces and founded Pioneer Pictures in 1933, with a distribution deal with R.K.O. Whitney and his cousin Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney bought a 15% stake in Technicolor. Fortune magazine is Americas longest-running business magazine. ... It has been suggested that John Hay Whitney/Technicolor be merged into this article or section. ... Dr. Herbert Thomas Kalmus (born 9 November 1881, Chelsea, Massachusetts – died 11 July 1963, Los Angeles, California) was the co-founder and president of the The Technicolor Corporation. ... The classic opening logo of RKO Radio Pictures. ... Merian C. Cooper Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893, Jacksonville, Florida, USA — April 21, 1973, San Diego, California, USA, died of cancer) was an American aviator, adventurer, director, screenwriter and producer. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... C.V. Whitney, 2000 book cover Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (February 20, 1899 - December 13, 1992) was an American businessman, film producer, writer, and government official, as well as the owner of a leading stable of thoroughbred racehorses. ...

Whitney was also the major investor in David O. Selznick's production company, putting up $870,000 and serving as Chairman of the Board. He put up half the money to option Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind," then invested more money for the making of "Gone With the Wind" and "Rebecca." David O. Selznick David Oliver Selznick (May 10, 1902–June 22, 1965), was one of the icon Hollywood producers of the Golden Age. ... For the Canadian politician see Margaret Mitchell (politician) Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was the American author who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her immensely successful novel, Gone with the Wind, that was published in 1936. ...

J.H. Whitney & Co.

J.H. Whitney & Co. is the oldest venture capital firm in the U.S. In 1958, while he was still ambassador to the United Kingdom, his company Whitney Communications Corp. bought the New York Herald Tribune, and was its publisher from 1961 - 1966. Whitney Communications also owned and operated other newspapers, plus magazines and broadcasting stations.

Personal life

Although married to Mary Elizabeth Altemus, he was romantically linked to Tallulah Bankhead, Paulette Goddard and Joan Crawford. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard met at one of Whitney's parties. He divorced Mary, and in 1942, married Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney, ex-wife of James Roosevelt, son of Franklin D. Roosevelt. They had two daughters. The great Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 - December 12, 1968) was an american actress, talk-show host and bonne vivante, born in Huntsville, Alabama. ... Paulette Goddard Paulette Goddard (June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an Oscar-nominated American actress. ... Joan Crawford (March 23, 1904 – May 10, 1977) was an acclaimed Academy Award winning American actress. ... Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor and the biggest box office star of the early sound film era. ... Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Betsey Maria Cushing Roosevelt Whitney (b. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) and his son James Roosevelt (1907-1991) in 1934. ... FDR redirects here. ...

During the 1970s, Jock Whitney was listed as one of the ten wealthiest men in the world. The residences at their disposal over the years included an estate on Long Island; a plantation in Georgia; a town house and an elegant apartment in Manhattan; a large summer house on Fishers Island, near New London, Connecticut; a 12-room house in Saratoga Springs, which the Whitneys used when they attended horse races; a golfing cottage in Augusta, Ga.; and a spacious house in Surrey, England, near the Ascot racecourse. In addition, the Whitneys shared a renowned Kentucky horse farm with Whitney's sister. Fishers Island, shown highlighted Fishers Island is a small island, approximately 9 miles (14 km) long and 1 mile (1. ...

Military career

Whitney served in the United States Army Air Forces as an intelligence officer during World War II, assigned to the Office of Strategic Services. He was taken prisoner by the Germans in southern France, but escaped when the train transporting him to a POW camp came under Allied fire. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was a part of the U.S. Army during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime (but not direct) precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency. ... Prisoner of War camps Contents // Categories: Substubs | Prisons and detention centres ... Look up ally in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Political life

Whitney was the major backer of Dwight D. Eisenhower. President Eisenhower appointed him Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He played a major role in improving Anglo-American relations, which had been severely strained during the 1956 Suez Crisis, when Eisenhower demanded that the British, French and Israelis terminate their invasion of Egypt. Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American soldier and politician. ... Combatants Israel United Kingdom France Egypt Commanders Moshe Dayan Charles Keightley Pierre Barjot Gamal Abdel Nasser Strength 175,000 Israeli 45,000 British 34,000 French 300,000 Casualties 177 Israeli KIA 16 British KIA 91 British WIA 10 French KIA 33 French WIA 1,650 KIA 4,900 WIA...

Philanthropy

Payne Whitney made substantial gifts to Yale, to the New York Presbyterian Hospital, and the New York Public Library. After his death, the family built the Payne Whitney Gymnasium at Yale in his honor. The family also financed Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic at New York Presbyterian Hospital in 1932. New York-Presbyterian Hospital is a prominent university hospital in New York City, composed of two medical centers, Columbia University Medical Center and New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, each affiliated with an Ivy League University. ... New York Public Library, central block, built 1897–1911, Carrère and Hastings, architects (June 2003) The New York Public Library (NYPL), one of three public library systems serving New York City, is one of the leading libraries in the United States. ... The Payne Whitney Gymnasium is the gymnasium of Yale University. ... William Payne Whitney donated the money to build and endow the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. ... New York-Presbyterian Hospital is a prominent university hospital in New York City, composed of two medical centers, Columbia University Medical Center and New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, each affiliated with an Ivy League University. ...

Whitney created the John Hay Whitney Foundation for educational projects in 1946. The Foundation provided fellowships to the racially and culturally deprived. He become a major contributor to Yale University, where he served as a trustee.