User:JRM86/W. Arnold Hanger

William Arnold Hanger (February 25, 1896- May 31, 1976) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder.

Early Life
Hanger was born on February 25, 1821, in Madison County, Kentucky, the son of Harry B. and Elizabeth Arnold Hanger. He was named after his grandfather, William A. Hanger, a prominent figure in the construction business industry.

Education
Hanger attended the University of Pennsylvania in, and the United States Naval Academy

Career
Hanger is most notable for his partnerships in business and thoroughbred racing. He partnered with Hal Price Headley and Jack Keene in the founding of Keeneland Racetrack in Lexington, KY. He was the business partner of Silas B. Mason in both Mason and Hanger Co., an influential construction company, as well as the famous horse racing stable, Warm Stable. In 1955, Hanger became president of Mason & Hanger Company; of which his father, Harry B. Hanger, was president from 1906-1925. He held said potion until 1976. Several notable projects completed during his term were the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the North River Water Pollution Construction Project, at 135th Street and the Hudson River.

Hanger was a member of the Jockey Club and a director of Churchill Downs, Hialeah and Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. He also was an honorary trustee and member of the finance committee of University of Miami at Coral Gables, Florida., and chairman of its Lowe Gallery.

Horse Racing
Hanger was a prominent thoroughbred breeder and owner, with many of his horses winning notable races. Hanger's horse, Iceberg II, received the American Champion Male Turf Horse award, an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor, in 1953 when the award first originated from the Daily Racing Form (DRF).

In 1974, Hanger won the Prix d'Amerique at Versailles, France with his horse Delmonica Hanover - a trotter he owned jointly with Delvin Miller. It was the world's richest trotting race at the time, with a winning purse of $250,000. She was also the first North American horse to win the race.

Philanthropy

 * In the 1940s, Hanger donated a statue of Seabiscuit to the Keeneland Library, as well as more than 2,000 literature volumes on racing and breeding to expand the library's collections on thoroughbreds. In 1954, he also donated a 50‐year collection of racing pictures and negatives collected by the photographer, C. C. Cook.
 * The Hanger family estate, named "Arlington Estate", was donated to Eastern Kentucky University as a memorial to his prominent family.
 * Hanger contributed financially to the University of Kentucky, which helped establish the institution's medical school. The W. Arnold Hanger Lodge was named in honor of him.