Henry T. Oxnard

Henry Thomas Oxnard (June 23, 1860 – June 8, 1922) was a French-born, American entrepreneur and namesake of Oxnard, California and its Henry T. Oxnard Historic District. Oxnard was president of both the American Beet Sugar Company (which later changed its name to American Crystal Sugar Company) and the American Beet Sugar Association, which represents all the beet sugar factories in the United States. He and his brothers controlled five sugar factories in the United States.[1]

Henry T. Oxnard
Oxnard in a 1902 publication
Born
Henry Thomas Oxnard

(1860-06-23)June 23, 1860
Marseilles, France
DiedJune 8, 1922(1922-06-08) (aged 61)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Resting placeMount Olivet Cemetery
Washington, D.C.
NationalityFrench
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materHarvard College
Occupation(s)Businessman, Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder
Board member ofAmerican Beet Sugar Association
Spouse
Marie Pichon
​
(m. 1900)​
Children2
HonorsOxnard, California,
Oxnard Street, Los Angeles

Background

Henry Thomas Oxnard was born to Adeline (née Brown) and Thomas A. Oxnard. He had three brothers, Robert, Benjamin A. and James G. In 1860, Oxnard's French-born father sold his sugar cane plantations and refinery in Louisiana, and by doing so was able to escape the business risks of the American Civil War by returning to his native France where Henry was born in Marseilles the year before the Civil War started.[2][3] The family returned to the United States where Henry Oxnard would grow up in Massachusetts and attend Harvard College.

In 1889, Oxnard and his associates established a sugar refinery in Grand Island, Nebraska.[4] In 1891, two more plants were built in Chino, California and Norfolk, Nebraska. In 1899, Oxnard opened a factory in Ventura County, California. The area around the plant later would become the town of Oxnard.[4]

In 1900, Henry Oxnard married Marie Pichon with whom he had two daughters, Adeline (1901) who was named for her paternal grandmother, and Nadine (1903).[5][6]

Thoroughbred horse racing

Henry Oxnard raced Thoroughbred horses under the nom de course Albemarle Stable. In 1902 he hired future Hall of Fame inductee R. Wyndham Walden to train his stable of horses.[7]

In 1903, Henry Oxnard purchased the 517 acre Blue Ridge Farm in Upperville, Virginia where he established a Thoroughbred breeding operation. In 2006, the farm was designated for its historical significance by the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.[8][9]

Many involved in the horse racing industry were greatly harmed by the 1908 Hart–Agnew Law which led to the closing of all racing in New York state in 1911 and 1912.[10][11] A February 21, 1913 ruling by the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division saw horse racing return in 1913.[12] Prior to the restart, in April Henry Oxnard and other wealthy industry leaders created the "Owners Fund" to cover losses for 1913 and 1914 incurred by those less fortunate who might need financial assistance while attempting to get back on their feet again.[13]

Death
Grave of Oxnard at Mount Olivet Cemetery

Henry Oxnard died on June 8, 1922, in New York City.[14] He is interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Notes
  1. "Sugar Men Divided by Threat of Jail; Henry T. Oxnard Tells How Agreement Between Great Concerns Suddenly Terminated". New York Times. 1911-06-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  2. "Oxnard, H. T. (Henry Thomas), 1860-1922 - Social Networks and Archival Context".
  3. Alfred Dezendorf. "Henry T Oxnard at Home" (PDF). The San Francisco Sunday Call. Retrieved 2015-03-27 – via Chronicling America.
  4. "Deep Roots: Our Timeline". American Crystal Sugar Company. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  5. "Henry T. Oxnard Marries His Sister-in-Law's Maid". Los Angeles Herald, Volume XXVIII, Number 68. 1900-12-08. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  6. "Henry T. Oxnard at Home". San Francisco Call, Volume 96, Number 40. 1904-07-10. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  7. "Gossip of the Turf". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. 1902-10-09. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  8. "Henry Oxnard, Noted Breeder". Daily Racing Form. 1922-06-10. Retrieved 2020-04-24 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  9. "030-0894 Blue Ridge Farm". Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR). 2018-09-07. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  10. "Penalties in the New York Bills". Daily Racing Form. 1908-01-18. Retrieved 2018-10-26 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  11. "Race Track Bill Defeated In Senate; Measure Modifying Directors' Liability for Gambling Fails of Passage". The New York Times. July 14, 1911. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  12. "Oral Betting Held Legal: Appellate Division of New York Supreme Court Renders Important Decision". Daily Racing Form. 1913-02-22. Retrieved 2019-06-29 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  13. "New York Racing Assured: Dates Officially Announced For Resumption Of Sport In The East". Daily Racing Form. 1913-04-05. Retrieved 2020-04-26 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  14. Harvard Alumni Bulletin. Published for the Harvard Alumni Association by the Harvard Bulletin, Inc. 1921.

References
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