Samuel Doyle Riddle (July 1, 1861 – January 8, 1951) was an American businessman and racehorse owner. He was born in Glen Riddle,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, a small town in Delaware County southwest of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, given the family name by his father Samuel Riddle. Samuel D. Riddle owned and operated a

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...

started by his father, but is best known as a sportsman. His father Samuel Riddle was born in Ireland and arrived in America in 1825. His mother was Lydia Doyle. Samuel D. Riddle had a brother, Leander W. Riddle. His sisters were Lydia Maud Riddle (who married Donald C. Haldeman, general manager for Great Britain and Ireland of the

Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (also known as Mutual of New York or MONY) was the oldest continuous writer of insurance policies in the United States. Incorporated in 1842, it was headquartered at 1740 Broadway, before becoming a ...

) and Charlotte Buffington Riddle, member number 25516 of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

(who married Homer Lee of Mansfield, Ohio, founder of the

Homer Lee Bank Note Company The Homer Lee Bank Note Company produced postage stamps and currency and was founded in New York City by artist, engraver, and inventor Homer Lee. In 1891, it was absorbed into the American Bank Note Company. The Homer Lee Company grew in the 188 ...

in New York City). Homer and Charlotte Lee's children were Leander Lee and Homer Lee, Jr. Riddle married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Dobson in 1883. She was the daughter of John Dobson, who with his brother owned a mill in East Falls, Philadelphia. The couple had no children, but raised Elizabeth's niece, Sarah Dobson Fiske, the daughter of Elizabeth's sister, also named Sarah Dobson Fiske.

Thoroughbred racing

The owner of Glen Riddle Farm, Riddle bred and raced

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

race horses Race Horses were a Welsh band based in Cardiff, Wales and originally from Aberystwyth. Formed in 2005 as Radio Luxembourg, they changed their name in 2009 due to possible legal problems with the radio station of the same name. Initially the m ...

. His most famous horses were

Man o' War Man o' War was a thoroughbred racehorse considered an all-time great. Man o' War (or capitalization variations thereof) may also refer to: Animals * Portuguese man o' war, a floating marine animal found in the Atlantic that resembles a jellyfish ...

and his son, U.S. Triple Crown winner

War Admiral War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse and the fourth winner of the American Triple Crown. He was also the 1937 Horse of the Year and well known as the rival of Seabiscuit in the "Match Ra ...

. In partnership with Walter M. Jeffords, Sr., the husband of niece Sarah, Samuel D. Riddle purchased and operated Faraway Farm on Huffman Mill Pike near

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

, where they stood Man o' War. In 1939, Riddle turned down an offer of a then-unheard-of $1 million for Man o' War. Upon his death in January 1951,New York Times - January 9, 1951
/ref> Riddle's will stipulated that his estate was to be used to provide a hospital for the community of

Media, Pennsylvania Media is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about west of Philadelphia. It is part of the Delaware Valley, also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area. ...

, the nearest town to Glen Riddle. With the $2.5 million and the of land provided by Riddle, fronted by Baltimore Pike, a charter for the hospital was granted on November 29, 1956. Riddle Memorial Hospital opened in February 1963, on of the land, with the balance of the land reserved for some manner related to the health and well-being of the community. The Riddlewood residential housing development in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, is named for Riddle and its streets are named for the horses he owned.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddle, Samuel D. 1861 births 1951 deaths American racehorse owners and breeders Breeders of U.S. Thoroughbred Triple Crown winners Owners of U.S. Thoroughbred Triple Crown winners People from Delaware County, Pennsylvania