William Woodward, Sr. (April 7, 1876 – September 26, 1953 was an American banker and major owner and breeder in thoroughbred horse racing. April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 96 days remaining. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Thoroughbred horse racing is the main form of horse-racing throughout the world. ...

Born in New York City, New York to a prominent and wealthy family, he studied at Harvard Law School, graduating in 1901. For the next two years Woodward lived in London, UK where he served as secretary to the United States ambassador to Britain. There, he joined with other members of the political and economic elite at fashionable events including thoroughbred horse races, the favorite pastime of English royalty and nobility. Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Harvard Law School (HLS) is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. ... St Stevens Tower - The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben Tower Bridge at night A red double-decker bus crosses Piccadilly Circus. ...

On his return to New York, Woodward was made vice president of his uncle James T. Woodward's Hanover National Bank in New York City. Following his uncle's death, William Woodward, Sr. was made president of the bank, serving in that capacity until a 1929 merger when he was appointed chairman of the new corporate entity called Central Hanover Bank & Trust.

In 1904, William Woodward married Elsie Cryder with whom he had a son, William Jr.. From his uncle James, William Woodward inherited a controlling interest in Hanover National Bank plus the Belair Stud in Bowie, Maryland. His uncle had acquired the historic horse breeding farm in 1898 and William Woodward used it to build the dominant breeding and thoroughbred horse racing operation in the United States during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. His farm's horses won every major Stakes race in the U.S. including two Triple Crowns as well as important races in Britain. Woodward's accomplishments in horse racing led to him making the August 7, 1939 cover of Time magazine. Belair Stud was an American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm founded by Provincial Governors Samuel Ogle and Benjamin Tasker in 1737 in Maryland in Colonial America near what is now the city of Bowie. ... Bowie is a city located in Prince Georges County, Maryland. ... Stakes race is a term applied to thoroughbred horse racing to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay. ... The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (Triple Crown for short, but the term is also used in other sports, and thus the full name should be used when it could cause confusion) consists of three races for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

Woodward was elected to The Jockey Club in 1917 and served as its chairman from 1930 until 1950. He passed away in 1953 leaving the estate to his son, William Woodward, Jr. whose untimely death a few years later in 1955 saw the end of Belair Stud.