John Elliot Cowdin (March 22, 1858 – January 7, 1941) was an American polo player.
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Early life and career

Cowdin was born on March 22, 1858, to Elliot Christopher Cowdin and Sarah Katharine Waldron. His father was a prominent New York businessman and a member of the

100th New York State Legislature The 100th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to May 24, 1877, during the first year of Lucius Robinson's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the prov ...

. Cowdin played for the Rockaway Polo Club. He won the 1902

International Polo Cup The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in polo that was created in 1886 and is played for by teams from the United States and England. Matches were conducted 12 times between 1886 and 1939, su ...

and the first

U.S. Open Polo Championship The US Open Polo Championship is an annual polo championship in the United States. It is organized since 1904 by the United States Polo Association (USPA). History The tournament was first played on September 20, 1904 at Van Cortlandt Park in T ...

in 1904. He also won the Association and Added Cups, the Governor's Challenge Cup and the Senior Championship in 1896, 1899, 1902 and 1903. His wife died on May 3, 1908, after a short illness while in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He married Gertrude Cheever with whom he had a daughter and two sons. In 1912, his second marriage was to Madeleine Knowlton. He died on January 7, 1941.

Legacy

He was inducted into the

Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame The Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization to celebrate the sport of polo.Horace Laffaye, Dennis J. Amato, ''Polo in the United States: A History'', Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2011, p. 28/ref> Overview ...

in 2007. One of his sons, John Cheever Cowdin, was also a top level polo player.

References

1858 births 1941 deaths Sportspeople from Manhattan Sportspeople from Boston Harvard University alumni Businesspeople from New York (state) American polo players International Polo Cup People from Gramercy Park {{US-polo-bio-stub