Marion du Pont Scott
Encyclopedia
Marion duPont Scott was an American
philanthropist
, thoroughbred
horsebreeder
, and the last private owner of Montpelier
, the mansion and land estate of former United States President James Madison
. At the time of her death, Montpelier was bequeathed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation
as a national landmark. As part of its renovation of the property, the National Trust reduced the house from the 55-room structure expanded by the du Pont family to its original 22-room state.
While the Du Pont family
usually spell the family name as "du Pont," Marion and her brother, William duPont, Jr.
, spelled it conjoined.
, Berkshire
, England
. She was a great-granddaughter of Eluthere Irenee duPont.
She was married to:
racehorses
that competed under her nom de course, Montpelier Stable, in both Flat racing
and Steeplechase
. In 1934, she and her brother, William duPont, Jr., founded the Montpelier Steeplechase Hunt Races, which are held at the Montpelier horse racing steeplechase
course the first Saturday in November each year. It is a National Steeplechase Association event). The graves and tombstones of three of her racehorses lie off to the left of the Montpelier mansion. Two were sons of Man o' War
, Battleship
and Annapolis. Battleship is the only horse in history to win both the American Grand National and the English Grand National
steeplechase races
.
was voted the 1963 American Champion Male Turf Horse. Following the creation of the Eclipse Award
s in 1971, Mrs. Scott's horse Soothsayer was voted the 1972 American Champion Steeplechase Horse
and in 1976 Proud Delta was voted American Champion Older Female Horse. Marion Scott was the recipient of the Thoroughbred Breeders of Kentucky Award in 1973, and in 1981 was voted the National Turf Writers Association
Joe Palmer Award for meritorious service and outstanding achievement in racing.
Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Virginia
, was created in 1984 through a gift from Mrs. Scott. The center is a full-service equine hospital
that offers advanced specialty care, 24 hour emergency treatment and diagnostic services for all ages and breeds of horses. The hospital sees approximately three thousand patients annually, and employs one hundred twenty equine healthcare professionals.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library with an endowment fund to maintain and expand the collection. Her famous 'red room' with decorations and furniture at Montpelier, although removed permanently from the house during restoration, was moved to Montpelier's visitor center where it is open for viewing by the general public. The visitor center also displays several walls of photographs from Mrs. Scott's distinguished Thoroughbred
horse racing
career. She was married briefly to Hollywood actor Randolph Scott
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horsebreeder
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
, and the last private owner of Montpelier
Montpelier (James Madison)
Montpelier was a large tobacco plantation and estate of the prominent Madison family of Virginia planters, including James Madison, fourth President of the United States. The manor house of Montpelier is four miles south of Orange, Virginia, and the estate currently covers some...
, the mansion and land estate of former United States President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
. At the time of her death, Montpelier was bequeathed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
as a national landmark. As part of its renovation of the property, the National Trust reduced the house from the 55-room structure expanded by the du Pont family to its original 22-room state.
While the Du Pont family
Du Pont family
The Du Pont family is an American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours . The son of a Paris watchmaker and a member of a Burgundian noble family, he and his sons, Victor Marie du Pont and Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, emigrated to the United States in 1800 and used the resources of...
usually spell the family name as "du Pont," Marion and her brother, William duPont, Jr.
William duPont, Jr.
William duPont, Jr. was an American businessman and banker and a prominent figure in the sport of thoroughbred horse racing. A member of the Delaware Du Pont family, he was the son of William du Pont and Annie Rogers , and brother to horsewoman, Marion.In 1919, he married Jean Liseter Austin...
, spelled it conjoined.
Biography
She was born in 1894 to William duPont and his second wife, Annie Rogers, the former wife of George Zinn Sr. She had one sibling, William Jr., and a half-brother, George Zinn Jr. She spent her childhood at BinfieldBinfield
Binfield is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest borough of Berkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it has a population of 7,475...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She was a great-granddaughter of Eluthere Irenee duPont.
She was married to:
- Thomas Hugh Somerville (1895 – after 1942?)), an inspector with E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. He was a son of Samuel Wilson Somerville of Culpeper, Virginia. They married on 28 December 1925 and divorced in 1935. They had no children.
- Randolph ScottRandolph ScottRandolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
, an American movie actor, who had been best man at her first wedding. They wed in 1936 and divorced in 1939; no children resulted from the marriage.
Montpelier Stable
Marion Scott owned ThoroughbredThoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorses
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
that competed under her nom de course, Montpelier Stable, in both Flat racing
Flat racing
Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
and Steeplechase
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
. In 1934, she and her brother, William duPont, Jr., founded the Montpelier Steeplechase Hunt Races, which are held at the Montpelier horse racing steeplechase
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
course the first Saturday in November each year. It is a National Steeplechase Association event). The graves and tombstones of three of her racehorses lie off to the left of the Montpelier mansion. Two were sons of Man o' War
Man O' War
Man O' War, man o' war or manowar may refer to:* Man-of-war, a warship* Man of war for uses with this spelling - Places :...
, Battleship
Battleship (horse)
Battleship was an American Thoroughbred Racehorse who was the only horse in history to win both the American Grand National and the English Grand National steeplechase races.-Breeding:...
and Annapolis. Battleship is the only horse in history to win both the American Grand National and the English Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
steeplechase races
Steeplechase (horse racing)
The steeplechase is a form of horse racing and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside...
.
Awards
Scott's horse MongoMongo (horse)
Mongo was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.-Background:He was bred and raced by Marion duPont Scott, a member of the prominent Du Pont family. His sire was Royal Charger, a son of Nearco whom Thoroughbred Heritage says was "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century". ...
was voted the 1963 American Champion Male Turf Horse. Following the creation of the Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
s in 1971, Mrs. Scott's horse Soothsayer was voted the 1972 American Champion Steeplechase Horse
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse
The American Champion Steeplechase Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded as part of the Eclipse Award program since its inception in 1971. It is awarded annually to the top horse in steeplechase racing....
and in 1976 Proud Delta was voted American Champion Older Female Horse. Marion Scott was the recipient of the Thoroughbred Breeders of Kentucky Award in 1973, and in 1981 was voted the National Turf Writers Association
National Turf Writers Association
The National Turf Writers Association is an American association of journalists, columnists and other writers involved with reporting on the horse racing industry...
Joe Palmer Award for meritorious service and outstanding achievement in racing.
Equine Medical Center
Virginia Tech'sVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
, was created in 1984 through a gift from Mrs. Scott. The center is a full-service equine hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
that offers advanced specialty care, 24 hour emergency treatment and diagnostic services for all ages and breeds of horses. The hospital sees approximately three thousand patients annually, and employs one hundred twenty equine healthcare professionals.
Legacy
Mrs. Scott's important collection of books and periodicals on the history and practice of equestrian and related sports was donated to the University of Virginia'sUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library with an endowment fund to maintain and expand the collection. Her famous 'red room' with decorations and furniture at Montpelier, although removed permanently from the house during restoration, was moved to Montpelier's visitor center where it is open for viewing by the general public. The visitor center also displays several walls of photographs from Mrs. Scott's distinguished Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
career. She was married briefly to Hollywood actor Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
.