Harry Payne Whitney

Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney in February 1924
Born	April 29, 1872 New York City, United States
Died	October 26, 1930 (1930-10-27) (aged 58) Portland, Maine
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Resting place	Woodlawn Cemetery, The Bronx
Residence	871 Fifth Avenue, New York, Old Westbury, New York
Education	Groton School
Alma mater	Yale University
Occupation	Lawyer, Racehorse owner/breeder, philanthropist
Known for	Thoroughbred racing
Board member of	Long Island Motor Parkway Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Co.
Spouse(s)	Gertrude Vanderbilt (m. 1896; his death 1930)
Children	Flora P. Whitney Cornelius V. Whitney Barbara Whitney
Parent(s)	William Collins Whitney Flora Payne
Relatives	See Whitney family

Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.

Harry Payne Whitney was born on April 29, 1872 in New York City, he was the eldest son of Flora Payne and William C. Whitney (1841–1904), the very wealthy businessman and United States Secretary of the Navy. Harry was the older brother of William Payne Whitney (1876–1927). His sister, Pauline Payne Whitney (1874–1916), was married to Almeric Hugh Paget, 1st Baron Queenborough (1861–1949), and his youngest sister, Dorothy Payne Whitney (1887–1968), was married Willard Dickerman Straight (1880–1918) and later, Leonard Knight Elmhirst (1893–1974), after Straight's death.

Harry Payne Whitney studied at Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts then attended Yale University, graduating with a law degree in 1894. He was a member of the Skull and Bones. In 1904, after the death of his father, he inherited $24,000,000, and in 1917, he inherited approximately $12,000,000 from his uncle, Oliver Hazard Payne.

An avid sportsman, he was a ten-goal polo player. His love of the sport was inherited from his father who had been involved with polo when it was first organized in the United States in 1876 by James Gordon Bennett, Jr. H. P. Whitney organized the U. S. polo team that beat England in 1909. "Whitney Field" polo field near Saratoga Springs, New York is named for him. He was also a board member of the Montauk Yacht Club and competed with his yacht Vanitie in the America's Cup. Whitney also served on the board of directors of the Long Island Motor Parkway, built by his wife's cousin, William Kissam Vanderbilt II.