Michael Grace Phipps (January 10, 1910 – March 13, 1973) was an American businessman, champion

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 ...

player, owner/breeder of racehorses, and a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Biography

Michael Phipps was the son of

John Shaffer Phipps John Shaffer Phipps (August 11, 1874 – April 27, 1958) was an American lawyer and businessman who was an heir to the Phipps family fortune and a shareholder of his father-in-law's Grace Shipping Lines. He was a director of the Manufacturer' ...

and Margarita Celia Grace, daughter of Michael P. Grace. He was a member of the

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

intercollegiate championship team in both 1930 and 1932. He participated in the 1936 and 1939

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 ...

. A member of the

Meadowbrook Polo Club The Meadowbrook Polo Club (originally styled as the "Meadow Brook Club"), located in Old Westbury, New York, is the oldest continuously operating polo club in the United States, first established in 1881.Marie, Kim (August 27, 201The Power of The ...

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 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, in 1938 he was elevated to a Ten Goal ranking, the highest level achievable in polo. On March 17, 1994 he was posthumously elected to 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 ...

Education and business career

Michael Phipps studied at

St. Bernard's School St. Bernard's School is a private, all-male elementary school in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of Manhattan's Upper East Side. It was founded in 1904 by John Card Jenkins, along with Francis Tabor.

and St. Paul's School before going on to

. Phipps became a successful investor and would serve as a vice president of his family's Bessemer Securities Corporation and sit on the

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

W. R. Grace and Company Grace is an American chemical business based in Columbia, Maryland. It produces specialty chemicals and specialty materials in two divisions: Grace Catalysts Technologies, which makes polyethylene and polypropylene catalysts and related products ...

, a company owned by his maternal grandfather's family.

Thoroughbred racing

Several members of the Phipps family were involved in horse racing. Most notably from the same era as Michael Phipps was his brother

Hubert Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and '' beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname. Saint Hubert of Liège (or Hubertus) (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and m ...

, a cousin

Ogden Ogden may refer to: Places Canada *Ogden, Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta *Ogden, Quebec, a small municipality in the Eastern Townships * Ogdensville, British Columbia or Ogden City, alternate names for gold rush-era Seymour Arm, British Columbia *Og ...

, as well as his uncle

Henry Carnegie Phipps Henry Carnegie Phipps (May 11, 1879 – March 21, 1953) was an American sportsman and financier, the owner of Wheatley Stable along with his wife Gladys Mills Phipps, and a member of the wealthy Phipps family. Early life Phipps was born on May 1 ...

whose wife was a partner in the renowned

Wheatley Stable Wheatley Stable was the ''nom de course '' for the thoroughbred horse racing partnership formed by Gladys Mills Phipps and her brother, Ogden Livingston Mills. The horses were raised at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky. History Over the years ...

. On the death of his father, Michaell Phipps purchased his stable of horses from the Estate. Some of the successful Thoroughbreds owned and raced by Michael Phipps were

Raja Baba Raja Baba (April 5, 1968 – October 9, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who became the 1980 Leading sire in North America, Champion sire in North America. Background Raja Baba was sired by Bold Ruler, the leading sire in North Ameri ...

and Gentleman James. Michael Phipps served on the board of directors of

Hialeah Park Race Track The Hialeah Park Race Track (also known as the Hialeah Race Track or Hialeah Park) is a historic racetrack in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East ...

.Palm Beach Post - March 15, 1973
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phipps, Michael Grace 1910 births 1973 deaths Yale University alumni Businesspeople from New York (state) American polo players International Polo Cup American racehorse owners and breeders Philanthropists from New York (state) Phipps family Place of birth missing People from Old Westbury, New York People from Palm Beach, Florida 20th-century American businesspeople St. Bernard's School alumni 20th-century American philanthropists