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August Belmont, Jr.

August Belmont, Jr, (December 28, 1851-December 10, 1924), was a son of the multi-millionaire banker August Belmont.

The younger August Belmont was an 1875 graduate of Harvard University, where, as a sprinter, he supposedly introduced spiked track shoes to the United States. Upon his father's death, he inherited a position as head of the Belmont banking house. He was an important early investor in the New York Subway, serving as president of the Interborough Rapid Transit, and is responsible for the creation of Belmont Park. (The prestigious Belmont Stakes was named for his father.) He served as Director of the National Park Bank.

Belmont holds the distinction of owning the world's only purposely built private subway car. Named Mineola, she was used by Belmont to give tours of the IRT.

Like his father, August Belmont, Jr, was an avid thoroughbred racing fan. He served as the first president of The Jockey Club and chairman of the New York State Racing Commission. In 1895 he was one of the nine founding members of the National Steeplechase Association. For a number of years, Belmont owned one of the best racing stables in America and five times horses from his own stable won the Belmont Stakes. He also had horses competing in England and in 1908 his colt "Norman" won the Two Thousand Guineas. Belmont also raised polo ponies and played on a polo team with Harry Payne Whitney.

Following the United States' entry into World War I, Belmont, at age 65, volunteered to assist and was sent to France by the U.S. Army. At home, his wife named a new foal "My Man o' War" in honor of her husband but because of his age and the uncertainty as to the war's end, August Belmont, Jr. decided to disband the stable and with the "My" dropped from the name, Man o' War was sold to Glen Riddle Farm in Maryland.

August Belmont was instrumental in making the Cape Cod Canal a reality. Throughout the nineteenth century, many plans were made, but none succeeded. It took Belmont and modern engineering to finally make the pilgrims' dream a reality.

The grand opening of the Cape Cod Canal was July 29, 1914, and it was soon plagued with troubles. Belmont's canal was expensive for mariners, costing as much as $16.00 for a trip by schooner, a considerable sum in those days. The narrow 140 foot width and shallow 25 foot depth of the canal made navigation difficult, and tidal flows created dangerous currents, so many mariners continued to use the routes around the cape. As a result, tolls did not live up to expectations and the Cape Cod Canal became a losing proposition. As a result, the Canal was purchased by the U.S. Government on March 30, 1928.

August Belmont, Jr. died in 1924, after living much of his life on a 1,100-acre estate in North Babylon, New York. After his death, his widow, actress-playwright Eleanor Robson Belmont, sold most of the estate to a subdivider. His widow died at 100 in 1979 and the remaining 158 acres--including the family mansion, lake, and main farm buildings--fell into the hands of the New York State Government. Under the control of planner Robert Moses, the estate was enlarged back to 459 acres and turned into Belmont Lake State Park. The mansion served as headquarters for the Long Island State Park Commission until 1935 when it was leveled to make way for the current building. He is survived by his son August Belmont, III, and granddaughter Jane Elizabeth Belmont.

• Case, Carole - The Right Blood: America's Aristocrats in Thoroughbred Racing (2000) Rutgers University Press ISBN 0-8135-2840-2