F. Ambrose Clark
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Frederick Ambrose Clark (August 1, 1880 – February 26, 1964) was an American heir and
equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...
.


Early life

"Brose" Clark was born on August 1, 1880, in
Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...
. He was the third son of
Alfred Corning Clark Alfred Corning Clark I (November 14, 1844 – April 8, 1896) was an American philanthropist and patron of the arts. Early life He was the son of Edward Cabot Clark (1811–1882) and Caroline (née Jordan) Clark (1815–1874). His father ...
(1844–1896) and Elizabeth (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Scriven) Clark (1848–1909). His siblings were
Edward Severin Clark Edward Severin Clark (July 6, 1870 – September 19, 1933) was an American businessman, and the owner of the New York City apartment building The Dakota. Early life Clark was born on July 6, 1870, in Neuilly, France. He was the eldest of the fou ...
,
Robert Sterling Clark Robert Sterling Clark (June 25, 1877 – December 29, 1956), an heir to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune, was an American art collector, Horse breeding, horse breeder, and philanthropist. Biography Known by his middle name, Sterling Clark served ...
, and
Stephen Carlton Clark Stephen Carlton Clark (August 29, 1882 – September 17, 1960) was an American art collector, businessman, newspaper publisher and philanthropist. He founded the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Biography Clark was the young ...
. He grew up in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and
Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...
. After his father's death in 1896, his mother remarried to
Henry Codman Potter Henry Codman Potter (May 25, 1834 – July 21, 1908) was a bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. He was the seventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Potter was "more praised and appreciated, perhaps, than any public man ...
, the
Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...
bishop of New York from 1887 until his death in 1908. His paternal grandfather was Singer Sewing Machine Company partner
Edward Cabot Clark Edward Cabot Clark (December 19, 1811 – October 14, 1882) was an American lawyer, businessman and investor. Early life Clark was born on December 19, 1811, in Athens, New York, Athens in Greene County, New York. He was the eldest child of ...
, who died in 1882, leaving an estate estimated between $25,000,000 (equivalent to $ today) and $50,000,000 (equivalent to $ today). Two year old Brose, his mother, and three brothers, all each inherited $250,000 (equivalent to $ today). His paternal grandmother, Caroline (née Jordan) Clark, was the daughter of Ambrose L. Jordan, a
New York State Senator The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...
who served as the
New York State Attorney General The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has existed in various forms since 1626, originally established under the Dutch c ...
.


Equestrian interests

Referred popularly and with affection as "Brose," he never attended college and "had no taste for business." He did, however, pour himself into his passion for all things equestrian. He was a gentleman rider who owned, bred and trained horses for
steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...
,
polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...
, flat racing, driving,
show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...
, and
fox hunt Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, normally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hounds" ...
ing. He was considered the quintessential equestrian, sportsman and was linked with horses throughout his life until his ailing health in 1963 marked the disbanding of his
horse stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use toda ...
s after 60 years of racing the light blue and yellow silks. Clark looked to be a man who stepped right out of a 19th-century sporting print. He was almost always seen in a tweed English cap, waistcoat,
breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Western men's ...
and tall boots throughout his life in person and in captured images. He was master of hounds for the Meadow Brook Hounds in the 1920s, which annually held a well-attended steeplechase race meeting on his property in Old Westbury, starting in 1919. Always the consummate horseman with a disdain for automobiles, famously Brose would not allow
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
radio to drive their equipment truck onto the estate to broadcast the races. Rather they had to use a team of horses to haul the equipment in. In 1904, the then twenty-four year old Clark was painted by American painter
Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...
. In 1958, he privately published a limited catalog of his sporting paintings: ''The F. Ambrose Clark Collection of Sporting Paintings'' which included select works by artists Sir
Alfred Munnings Sir Alfred James Munnings, (8 October 1878 – 17 July 1959) is known as having been one of England's finest painters of horses, and as an outspoken critic of Modernism. Engaged by Lord Beaverbrook's Canadian War Memorials Fund after the Gre ...
and
George Stubbs George Stubbs (25 August 1724 – 10 July 1806) was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses. Self-trained, Stubbs learnt his skills independently from other great artists of the 18th century such as Joshua Reynolds and Thoma ...
, among others.


Noted horses

The most famous horse under Brose was a
gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...
he sold to his wife Florence for $5.00 (one pound) at the time just prior to the
1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...
English Grand National was Kellsboro Jack (
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
). Trained by Ivor Anthony, the American-bred horse would become, at the time, just the 3rd American owned horse to win the grueling English steeplechase race at
Aintree Racecourse Aintree Racecourse is a horse racing, racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England, near to Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase, which takes place annually in April over three da ...
. In the same race, Ambrose had entered Chadd's Ford who finished next to last. Kellsboro Jack's time of nine minutes thirty-eight seconds set a new record for the event. Clark's horse Tea Maker, who raced from 1948 to 1953, and was bred by his wife, was inducted into the
Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum The Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1977 as a tribute to the famous flat racing and steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase Thoroughbred horses that trained in Aiken, South Carolina. The museum was a proje ...
on January 23, 1977. Tea Maker, at the age of 9, won the 1950
Vosburgh Stakes The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender. A Grade III sprint race, it is ...
and
American Legion Handicap The American Legion Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York open to horses of either sex age three and older. It was contested over a distance of seven furlongs on dirt, except for 194 ...
and earned top honors as 1952's
American Champion Sprint Horse The American Champion Sprint Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a ...
. Despite his various wins, Clark was unable to find success at the American Triple Crown races. In the 1928
Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...
, his horse, Broom Wisk, finished fourth of six runners, and in 1942, his Top Milk runner finished seventh of seven runners in the
Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...
.


Properties

Clark owned various properties throughout the United States, including an apartment in
The Dakota The Dakota, also known as the Dakota Apartments, is a Housing cooperative, cooperative apartment building at 1 West 72nd Street (Manhattan), 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The Dakota was constru ...
, estates in Cooperstown, Old Westbury on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
, in
Aiken, South Carolina Aiken is the most populous city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. According to 2020 census, the population was 32,025, making it the 15th-most populous city in South Carolina, and one of the two largest ci ...
, and in
Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
, England. In addition, his wife owned an estate in northern
Leon County, Florida Leon County () is a County (United States), county in the Florida Panhandle, Panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population w ...
, just north of
Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...
. A estate in
Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...
, known as Iroquois Farm, which remained in the Clark family after his death and was where Clark taught his nephews to be horsemen. The manor house at Iroquois Farm was razed in 1981 to make room for what was planned to be the relocation of the Clark Sports Center. Final changes resulted it being located in 1983 on what was the training track of Iroquois Farm. A
estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representativ ...
in Old Westbury on Long Island, known as Broad Hollow. Upon his death, Broad Hollow was donated to the State and became the
State University of New York at Old Westbury The State University of New York at Old Westbury (SUNY at Old Westbury) is a public university in Old Westbury, New York, with portions in the neighboring town of Jericho, New York. It enrolls just over 5,000 students. History The State Unive ...
. Its main sports venue, the Physical Education and Recreation Center, was renamed for Clark in 1988. The Clark Center is the home of the Old Westbury basketball programs and the Nassau County men's
high school basketball High school basketball, also known as prep basketball, is the sport of basketball as played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. Top high school athletes often go on to play college basketball after ...
championships. An apartment in
The Dakota The Dakota, also known as the Dakota Apartments, is a Housing cooperative, cooperative apartment building at 1 West 72nd Street (Manhattan), 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The Dakota was constru ...
, a luxury apartment building in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
built by his grandfather. A sprawling estate in the Aiken Winter Colony acquired in 1929, known as Habersham House, that was built in 1927 for Kenneth Schley (Master of the Essex Hunt). The home was renamed Kellsboro after the Grand National victory and upon his death, went to Clark's nephew George H. "Pete" Bostwick. A seasonal residence in England at
Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray () is a market town in the Borough of Melton, Melton district in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, Leicestershire, River Eye, known below Melton as the Rive ...
,
Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
, the spiritual home of English fox-hunting. While in England, he rode with the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
, who later became the
Duke of Windsor Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his Abdication of Edward VIII, abdication on 11 December 1936. The Duchy, dukedom takes its name from ...
, and who often was his house guest. In addition, his first wife owned
Foshalee Plantation Foshalee Plantation was a large quail hunting plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida, Leon County, Florida, United States. History First called Incochee, it was purchased in 1824 by Hezekiah and Ann Graham Ponder. Hezekiah and Ann ar ...
, a quail hunting property in northern
Leon County, Florida Leon County () is a County (United States), county in the Florida Panhandle, Panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population w ...
, just north of
Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...
from 1938 until 1949.


Personal life

In 1902, he was married to Florence Lockwood Stokes (1875–1950) at Orienta Point in
Mamaroneck Mamaroneck ( ), is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Villag ...
by Bishop Potter, who himself was married shortly thereafter to Clark's widowed mother. Florence was described as "a model sportswoman" for her zest and attitude. She was the daughter of Henry Bolter Stokes, president of the
Manhattan Life Insurance Company ManhattanLife (originally The Manhattan Life Insurance Company), is an American life insurance company domiciled in New York City, New York. It operates as a subsidiary of Manhattan Life Group in Houston, Texas. ManhattanLife is the brand name f ...
, and Sophia Isaacs (née Lockwood) Stokes. Her sister was Marie Lillian Stokes, the wife of
Albert Carlton Bostwick Albert Carlton Bostwick (June 22, 1878 – November 10, 1911) was an American banker, sportsman, and automobile enthusiast. Early life Bostwick was born in New York City on June 22, 1878. He was the only son born to Jabez A. Bostwick and Helen C ...
with whom Marie had five children. Together, Florence and Brose were the parents of one child, who predeceased both Florence and Brose: * Ethel Stokes Clark (1910–1942), who suffered from "a disorder that handicapped her mentally and physically". His wife died on October 2, 1950, at 7 East 77th Street, their New York City residence at the time. On November 9, 1952, he remarried to Constance Augusta (née Davies) Miller (1891–1981) at the home of his friend,
Ogden Phipps Ogden Phipps (November 26, 1908 – April 21, 2002) was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist. In 2001, he was induct ...
, who was also the husband of his niece,
Lillian Bostwick Phipps Lillian Stokes Bostwick Phipps (July 9, 1906 – November 27, 1987) was an American socialite and owner of Thoroughbred steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase horse racing, racehorses. Early life Lillian Stokes Bostwick was born in New Yor ...
. Constance was the widow of Geoffrey Miller and the daughter of Frederick A. Davies of London, England. He died on February 26, 1964, in Westbury on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
. He had two funerals, the first at the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Advent in Westbury, and the second at Christ Church in Cooperstown, before his burial beside Kellsboro Jack on a hillside just outside the village of Cooperstown. The bulk of his financial estate remained with the family trusts, The Clark Estates and Scriven Foundation. His widow survived him by almost seventeen years and eventually died on December 20, 1981, in
Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...
, London, England.


Legacy

Today the very selective F. Ambrose Clark Award is highest honor given in
Steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...
by the National Steeplechase Association. A coveted award, it is given to "individuals who have done the most to promote, improve, and encourage the growth and welfare of steeplechasing." His significant collection of tack and historic carriage was put into The Carriage and Harness Museum of Cooperstown, N.Y. held in the Clark's Elk Street stables, which closed with the sale of the collection at auction September 8–9, 1978. Some of the tack was purchased on behalf of the
Rockefeller family The Rockefeller family ( ) is an American Industrial sector, industrial, political, and List of banking families, banking family that owns one of the world's largest fortunes. The fortune was made in the History of the petroleum industry in th ...
to furnish a carriage house being opened as a museum as part of the
Kykuit Kykuit ( ), known also as the John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room historic house museum in Pocantico Hills, a hamlet in the town of Mount Pleasant, New York north of New York City. The house was built for oil tycoon and Rockefeller fa ...
estate in
Pocantico Hills Pocantico Hills is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet in the Westchester County, New York, Westchester County town of Mount Pleasant, New York, United States. The Rockefeller family estate, anchored by Kykuit, the family seat built by John D. Rockefeller ...
. The harness is seen there today, with the brass monograms changed from the original "C" to "R". The Elk Street stables are extant, now used as offices for
Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital The Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital (Bassett Medical Center) is a teaching hospital in Cooperstown, New York. The hospital opened in June 1922. The hospital has 180 beds. It is associated with Columbia University. It is home to the Bassett Can ...
. The rare books room at the
National Sporting Library & Museum The National Sporting Library & Museum or NSLM (formerly the National Sporting Library) is a research library and art museum in Middleburg, Virginia, in the United States. History The National Sporting Library was founded in 1954 in the person ...
in
Middleburg, Virginia Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 673 as of the 2010 census. It is the southernmost town along Loudoun County's shared border with Fauquier County. Middleburg is known as the "Nation's Horse ...
, is named in his honor.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, F Ambrose 1880 births 1964 deaths American male equestrians American racehorse owners and breeders F. Ambrose Masters of foxhounds in the United States People from Cooperstown, New York People from Aiken, South Carolina