Winston Frederick Churchill Guest

Winston Frederick Churchill Guest (May 20, 1906 – October 25, 1982), was an Anglo-American polo champion and a member of the Guest family of Britain.

Winston Frederick Churchill Guest
Portrait with his grandmother, Mrs. Henry Phipps, by John Singer Sargent, circa 1907
Born(1906-05-20)May 20, 1906
New York, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 25, 1982(1982-10-25) (aged 76)
Mineola, New York, U.S.
EducationYale University
Columbia University Law School
OccupationPolo player, racehorse owner/breeder
Spouse(s)
Helena Woolworth McCann
​
​
(m. 1934; div. 1944)​

​
​
(m. 1947)​
Children4, including Cornelia Guest
Parent(s)Frederick E. Guest
Amy Phipps
RelativesRaymond R. Guest (brother)
Diana Guest Manning (sister)
Ivor Guest (grandfather)
Henry Phipps, Jr. (grandfather)

Early life

Winston Frederick Churchill Guest was born on May 20, 1906, to Frederick Guest (1875–1937),[1] a British politician, and Amy Phipps. His mother was the daughter of Henry Phipps, Jr., an American businessman and philanthropist. His paternal grandfather was Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne (1835–1914), a Welsh industrialist. His great-grandfather was John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, making him a first cousin once removed of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.[2]

His brother, Raymond R. Guest (1907–1991), was the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1965 to 1968,[3] who married three times.[4][5]

In 1918, during World War I, his mother turned over their London home, Alford House on Park Lane, to be used by the American Red Cross as a hospital for the American Navy.[6] In 1919, his parents entered into a separation agreement and his mother received custody of him, thereafter living in the United States.[7][8] He graduated from Yale University in 1927 and received a law degree from Columbia University in 1942.[9]

Career

After graduating from Columbia University Law School, he was appointed law secretary for Joseph C. Baldwin III, minority leader of the Board of Alderman.[9] He, along with Alexander Hamilton, a descendant of Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary, was paid $1 a year for his work.[10]

Polo

Guest was a member of the international team of the United States which won the International Polo Cup in 1930, 1936 and 1939. He was the only player in the history of the Indoor Polo Association with the top rating of ten goals.[9]

In 1934, while being the highest rated player of indoor polo,[11] he was elected the head of Indoor Polo Association. Along with him came Elbridge T. Gerry as executive vice president and Michael G. Phipps as vice president.[12]

Personal life

In 1934, he married Helena Woolworth McCann, daughter of Charles E. F. McCann and Helena Maud Woolworth McCann (1878–1938). Her maternal grandfather was F. W. Woolworth, the American business magnate. She attended Miss Hewitt's School, Miss Chapin's School, and graduated from Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut.[9][13] They subsequently divorced in 1944. With her, his two sons:

  • Winston Alexander Guest (b. 1936),[14] who married Helen Mane Elizabeth Shields in 1967.[15]
  • Frederick E. Guest II (b. 1938), who married Stephanie Wanger (b. 1943), daughter of Walter Wanger and Joan Bennett, in 1963.[16] They divorced and he married Carole Baldoff in 1988.[17]

In 1947, he married Lucy Douglas Cochrane (1920-2003), later known as C. Z. Guest. With her, he had a son and a daughter:

In 1947 Guest leased historic Gardiners Island from its 15th owner, Sarah Diodati Gardiner.[20] Guest used it to host hunting parties, inviting high profile guests, like Ernest Hemingway and Dag Hammarskjöld. On January 24, 1947, Van Campen Heilner was staying in the mansion, when a fire swept through the island's 137 Georgian mansion. Heilner survived by jumping out a window. The mansion was a complete loss.

He died on October 25, 1982, at Nassau Hospital in Mineola, New York.[21]

See also

References
  1. "CAPTAIN F. E. GUEST DIES IN ENGLAND, 61; Former British Air Secretary Also Known as a Soldier and Polo Player" (PDF). The New York Times. April 29, 1937. p. 21. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  2. "Elizabeth S. Polk and Raymond Guest, Poloist, Wed in Heavenly Rest Church" (PDF). The New York Times. June 26, 1935. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  3. "Raymond Guest, 84, Ambassador, Polo Player and Breeder of Horses". New York Times. January 1, 1992. Retrieved 2011-04-13. Raymond R. Guest, a former Ambassador to Ireland who was a champion polo player and horse breeder, died yesterday in Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Va. He was 84 years old and lived in King George, Va. He died of pneumonia after a long illness, his family said. ...
  4. "R. R. GUEST MARRIES MRS. ELLEN T. ASTOR" (PDF). The New York Times. May 2, 1953. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  5. Paulick Report Staff (14 June 2012). "Princess Murat, widow of Thoroughbred owner Raymond Guest, dies at 88". Horse Racing News Paulick Report. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  6. "HOSPITAL FOR OUR NAVY.; Former Amy Phipps Gives Use of Her Great London Home" (PDF). The New York Times. 12 June 1918. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  7. Times, Special To The New York (8 December 1936). "CITIZENSHIP VALID FOR WINSTON GUEST; Judge at Washington Regularizes the Polo Player's Papers, Which Were Disputed" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  8. "CAPTAIN F. E. GUEST ILL; Son Winston, With His Mother, Is Hurrying to Him in London" (PDF). The New York Times. 24 February 1937. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  9. "HELENA W. M'CANN BECOMES ENGAGED; | Marriage to Winston F, C. Guest, International Polo Star, to Be Held in June. | HER DEBUT AT LARGE BALL | Bride-Elect Presented to King and Queen of England in 1931 | Fiance Is Yale Alumnus" (PDF). The New York Times. 10 April 1934. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  10. "Winston Guest $1-a-Year Man" (PDF). The New York Times. 16 March 1934. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  11. Kelley, Robert F. (8 January 1932). "GUEST AGAIN TOPS INDOOR POLO LIST; Remains at 10 Goals While Smith and Lieut. Jones Keep Rankings of Nine. MILLS GOES FROM 6 TO 8 Baldwin, Another Yale Star, Advanced From 2 to 6 -- Seven New Clubs Added to Association" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  12. Kelley, Robert F. (16 November 1934). "Guest, High-Goal Ace, Is Elected Head of Indoor Polo Association; Succeeds Granniss in Move to Put Younger Men in Office -- U.S. Tournament Likely to Be Staged in Chicago Again" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  13. Special to The New York Times (3 June 1934). "HELENA W. M'CANN HAS GARDEN BRIDAL; | Wed to Winston F. C. Guest at Oyster Bay | Mrs. W. R. Betts Matron of Honor, | SONGS BY PAULIST CHOIR | Diana Guest, Adaline Havemeyer and Barbara Mason Are Among Attendants" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  14. "WINSTON GUESTS HAVE SON; Child Is a Great-Grandson of the Late Frank W. Woolworth" (PDF). The New York Times. 5 January 1936. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  15. "Winston Guest to Marry Helen Shields on Nov. 4" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 September 1967. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  16. Bachrach, Bradford (5 May 1963). "Stephanie Wanger Fiancee Of Frederick E. Guest 2d". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  17. "Carole B. Kerr, Executive, Weds F. E. Guest 2d on L.I." The New York Times. 22 May 1988. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  18. "June Wedding for Elizabeth Geacintov And Alexander M. D. Churchill Guest". The New York Times. 30 March 1986. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  19. Morris, Bob (August 17, 2012). "Cornelia Guest Leaves the Debutante Life Behind". The New York Times. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  20. Steven Gaines (2018). "Philistines at the Hedgerow: Passion and Property in the Hamptons". Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316490276. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  21. "Polo, Society Figure Guest Dies In New York Hospital". Palm Beach Daily News. October 27, 1982. Retrieved 2011-03-30. Guest Jr. of Palm Beach, Frederick Guest of New York and Alexander MD Guest of New York; a daughter, Cornelia Cochrane Churchill Guest of New York; ...
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