John E. Madden
Encyclopedia
John Edward Madden was a prominent American
Thoroughbred
and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky
and bred five Kentucky Derby
and Belmont Stakes
winners.
He was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame
posthumously in 1983. He was also inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame
for his contributions to the sport as a trainer, breeder and owner. He is the only person to be inducted into both the Harness and Thoroughbred Halls of Fame. He was also a businessman, who invested in corn refining.
to Patrick and Catherine (McKee) Madden, who were Irish
immigrants from Roscommon. Madden's father died in 1860, which resulted in hardship for the family. Young Madden often had to rely on his wits and athleticism to survive. He worked for four years in the local steel mill
s as a teenager and often fought in prizefighting as a young man to earn money. Boasting an athletic build, at nearly six feet tall and weighing 180 pounds, Madden excelled in baseball, running and broadjumping. By the age of 16, he had developed an interest in trotters
.
in 1896 for $1,600 from Col. Enright of Elmendorf Farm
and set about developing the unruly colt into an exceptional racehorse. He won the 1897 Great Eastern Handicap at a 135-pound handicap weight, unprecedented for a juvenile. Hamburg won 12 of his 16 starts at age two, winning $38,595 for Madden. The owner sold the horse to Marcus Daly
in 1897 for approximately $40,000 (some estimates place it higher at $60,000).
Madden made Hamburg Place the center of his breeding operations from 1897 until his death in 1929. He bred 14 champion racehorses, including four Kentucky Derby winners (Old Rosebud
, Paul Jones
, Zev
and Flying Ebony
), four Belmont Stakes winners (The Finn
, Grey Lag
, Zev
and Joe Madden) and the first Triple Crown
winner Sir Barton
. Madden was the leading breeder in the United States from 1917 to 1923 and 1925, mostly due to the success of Plaudit
and Madden's imported British
stallions Star Shoot
and Ogden. Madden also bred Trigger, Princess Doreen
, King James
, Emotion, Gunfire, Southern Maid
, Flora Fina, and Sir Martin
.
Horses buried in the cemetery include:
Standardbreds:
Thoroughbreds:
Madden was an active trainer from 1888 to 1912, conditioning a total of eight champion Thoroughbred horses. He was the nation's leading trainer from 1901 to 1903. During his training and breeding career, Madden mentored William Collins Whitney, a former Secretary of the Navy and fellow Thoroughbred enthusiast. At Madden's urging, Whitney had bought the stallion "Hamburg" in 1900 after Marcus Daly's death. Madden sold many other horses he had bred to Whitney.
After Whitney fired the trainer Sam Hildreth
due to perceived poor performance, he persuaded Madden to train his horses, although the latter was reluctant. A well-known legend about Madden said that Hildreth, angered and drunk, was beating Madden about the head with a cane until an irate Madden pinned him to the floor and made him apologize for the insult.
Madden most notably trained:
in June 1890. They had two sons, J. Edward Madden, Jr. (1894–1943) and Joseph McKee Madden (1899–1932). The couple separated on ill-terms in 1903. Anna and her relatives sued Madden and were counter sued for years afterward, especially in relation to her and her brother's roles in a trusteeship for the boys.
In 1905, after learning that his estranged wife planned to take their sons to Europe and fearing she would not return them, Madden took the boys from the convent school they attended in Madison, New Jersey. He took them back with him by train to Lexington, Kentucky. Anna moved to Ohio
and filed divorce proceedings in that state in 1906. Later that year Anna Madden married the wealthy New York
broker and turfman Louis Valentine Bell (1853–1925). Since the Maddens had been married in Kentucky and John Madden was not formally contacted in her divorce, the Kentucky court ruled that the divorce was not valid.
Madden finally secured full custody of their sons and filed for divorce from Anna Madden-Bell in February 1909. Anna Madden-Bell died on May 10, 1963 at the age of 91, having outlived both her husbands and both her sons.
fields in the American West, a new area of discovery and risk.
In 1926, Madden sold most of his breeding stock; he sold 139 horses for $446,200. By that time, he had become distant from the horse racing industry. By investing heavily in the corn refining business, he increased his net worth to more than $9 million dollars. In October 1929, Madden, healthy for most of his life, developed pneumonia
while saying at the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City. He died of a heart attack early in morning of November 3, 1929 in his room at the hotel. His body was returned to Kentucky and was interred in Cavalry Cemetery in Lexington. He died soon after two other great horse trainers, Sam Hildreth and James Rowe, Sr.
, Joseph Madden committed suicide
on October 31, 1932 in New York City, by shooting himself with a loaded gun, on sale at the sporting store Abercrombie and Fitch.
Nearly eleven years later, his brother Edward Madden also committed suicide, dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 26, 1943 at Hamburg Place. Edward was survived by his wife and two sons, Patrick (1933–1999) and Preston W. Madden (b. 1935). Edward Madden had raised mostly polo ponies
at Hamburg Place.
It was not until his sons grew up and took an interest that they resumed Thoroughbred breeding in the 1950s at the farm. Preston Madden married Anita Myers
. He notably stood the champion stallion T.V. Lark
at the farm, and bred the 1987 Kentucky Derby
winner Alysheba
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
and bred five Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
winners.
He was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
posthumously in 1983. He was also inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame
Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame
The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame is a museum in Goshen, New York. The museum collects and preserves the history of harness racing and serves as a hall of fame for trotter horses....
for his contributions to the sport as a trainer, breeder and owner. He is the only person to be inducted into both the Harness and Thoroughbred Halls of Fame. He was also a businessman, who invested in corn refining.
Early life
John E. Madden was born on December 28, 1856 in Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaBethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
to Patrick and Catherine (McKee) Madden, who were Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
immigrants from Roscommon. Madden's father died in 1860, which resulted in hardship for the family. Young Madden often had to rely on his wits and athleticism to survive. He worked for four years in the local steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
s as a teenager and often fought in prizefighting as a young man to earn money. Boasting an athletic build, at nearly six feet tall and weighing 180 pounds, Madden excelled in baseball, running and broadjumping. By the age of 16, he had developed an interest in trotters
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
.
Harness Racing
Adept at recognizing subtle differences in gait and performance in Standardbreds, both pacers and trotters, from his time driving and training horses, Madden soon amassed a small fortune from buying promising but unseasoned animals, at low prices, developing them into winners and selling them at a profit. By the time he was thirty, he had made $150,000 through his dealings. He said, "Better to sell and repent than keep and resent." Madden notably owned Class Leader, who set a track record at the Cleavland Grand Circuit Race in 1887, Robert McGregor and Siliko. By 1890, Madden realized that Thoroughbred racing was attracting higher purse values than harness racing, and he gradually shifted his interests. Into the 1900s, he still owned and trained a few Standardbreds.Hamburg, the horse
John Madden moved to Lexington, Kentucky in 1889, where he lived at the well-known Phoenix Hotel. He applied his business and horse knowledge to Thoroughbreds, gradually building a reputation in Kentucky as an astute horseman. He purchased HamburgHamburg (horse)
Hamburg was an American Thoroughbred race horse bred in Kentucky by James E. Kittson, brother to Norman W. Kittson who had been partners in Erdenheim Stud. His sire was the great Hanover by another great, Hindoo....
in 1896 for $1,600 from Col. Enright of Elmendorf Farm
Elmendorf Farm
Elmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, and has been involved with horse racing since the early 19th century...
and set about developing the unruly colt into an exceptional racehorse. He won the 1897 Great Eastern Handicap at a 135-pound handicap weight, unprecedented for a juvenile. Hamburg won 12 of his 16 starts at age two, winning $38,595 for Madden. The owner sold the horse to Marcus Daly
Marcus Daly
Marcus Daly redirects here, see also Marcus Daly Marcus Daly was an Irish-born American businessman known as one of the three "Copper Kings" of Butte, Montana, United States.- Early life:...
in 1897 for approximately $40,000 (some estimates place it higher at $60,000).
Hamburg Place
Madden used the proceeds to purchase 235 acres (which he eventually expanded to 2,000 acres) of land east of Lexington on Winchester Pike. He named his breeding farm Hamburg Place, in honor of the horse that funded the acquisition. Formerly owned by the family of Lucretia Hart, who married Henry Clay, Sr., the land was called Overton Farm.Madden made Hamburg Place the center of his breeding operations from 1897 until his death in 1929. He bred 14 champion racehorses, including four Kentucky Derby winners (Old Rosebud
Old Rosebud (horse)
Old Rosebud was an American Thoroughbred racehorse whose pedigree traced to the influential sire Eclipse, and through Eclipse to the founding stallion, the Godolphin Arabian. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine, Old Rosebud ranks 88th...
, Paul Jones
Paul Jones (horse)
Paul Jones was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was the sixth gelding to win the Kentucky Derby. Paul Jones was foaled in the same year as the great Man o' War, winner of the 1920 Preakness and Belmont Stakes and one of the most influential sires of the 20th century...
, Zev
Zev (horse)
Zev was an American thoroughbred horse racing champion.-Background:A brown colt, Zev was sired by The Finn out of the mare Miss Kearney . Bred by the famous horseman John E. Madden, Zev was owned by the Rancocas Stable of Harry F...
and Flying Ebony
Flying Ebony
Flying Ebony was an American thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by John E. Madden, who had already bred four Kentucky Derby winners, and was raced by New York carpet manufacturer, Gifford A. Cochran....
), four Belmont Stakes winners (The Finn
The Finn
The Finn was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that is best remembered as the winner of the 1915 Belmont Stakes and as the sire of Zev and Flying Ebony, the respective winners of the 1923 and 1925 Kentucky Derbies. The Finn was foaled in Lexington, Kentucky at Hamburg Place, the stud farm of John...
, Grey Lag
Grey Lag
Grey Lag was a thoroughbred race horse born in Kentucky and bred by John E. Madden. At his Hamburg Place near Lexington, Kentucky, Maddon had a good stallion called Star Shoot which he bred to all his mares. Out of a failed racemare called Miss Minnie who had produced no previous winners, he got...
, Zev
Zev (horse)
Zev was an American thoroughbred horse racing champion.-Background:A brown colt, Zev was sired by The Finn out of the mare Miss Kearney . Bred by the famous horseman John E. Madden, Zev was owned by the Rancocas Stable of Harry F...
and Joe Madden) and the first Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
winner Sir Barton
Sir Barton
Sir Barton, , was a chestnut thoroughbred colt who in 1919 became the first winner of the American Triple Crown.He was sired by leading stud Star Shoot out of the Hanover mare Lady Sterling. His grandsire was the 1893 English Triple Crown champion, Isinglass.Sir Barton was bred in Kentucky by...
. Madden was the leading breeder in the United States from 1917 to 1923 and 1925, mostly due to the success of Plaudit
Plaudit
Plaudit was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. A descendant of English Triple Crown champion, West Australian, Plaudit is best known for winning the 1898 Kentucky Derby....
and Madden's imported British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
stallions Star Shoot
Star Shoot
Star Shoot was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was bred in Ireland, raced in the United Kingdom and was eventually imported to the United States to become a five-time leading sire in the early 1900s. He was a white stockinged, chestnut colt sired by the great British 1893 Triple Crown winner,...
and Ogden. Madden also bred Trigger, Princess Doreen
Princess Doreen
Princess Doreen was a Thoroughbred racehorse best known for being the top American female money-winner.Bred by John E. Madden at his stud farm, Hamburg Place, in Kentucky....
, King James
King James (horse)
King James was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by one of America's most important breeders, John E. Madden, King James was the son of 1898 Kentucky Derby winner, Plaudit...
, Emotion, Gunfire, Southern Maid
Southern Maid (horse)
Southern Maid was a Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and successful broodmare who raced in Canada[ and the United States. Bred by John E. Madden, one of the most influential breeders in American horse racing history, her sire was the 1898 Kentucky Derby winner, Plaudit. Grandsire Himyar was also...
, Flora Fina, and Sir Martin
Sir Martin
Sir Martin was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in 1906 in Lexington, Kentucky at Hamburg Place, the stud farm of noted turfman and horse trainer John E. Madden. Sir Martin was a half brother to the first Triple Crown winner Sir Barton, and he raced in the United States, Great Britain and...
.
Equine Cemetery
Starting in 1908, Madden began burying his most prized broodmares, stallions and trotting horses in a small horseshoe-shaped cemetery on the grounds of Hamburg Place. Madden's grandson, Preston Madden, buried a few Thoroughbreds in the cemetery during the 1970s. The cemetery is one of the oldest dedicated to racehorses in the United States. The cemetery was moved from its original location in 2005 to make way for development, but has since been reopened to allow public access.Horses buried in the cemetery include:
Standardbreds:
- Nancy HanksNancy Hanks (horse)Nancy Hanks was an undefeated Standardbred harness racing trotting mare named for Abraham Lincoln's mother.She was foaled in 1886 at Terre Haute, Indiana and was sired by Happy Medium, her dam Nancy Lee was by Dictator....
(1886–1915), set a U.S. harness racing record on September 28, 1892 by trotting a mile in 2 minutes and 4 seconds; she ran undefeated and was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame. - Siliko (1903–1926), stallion.
- Silicon (1890–1913), dam of Siliko.
- Major Delmar (1897–1912), a gelding.
- Hamburg Belle (1902-November 10, 1909), trotting mare that set several world records in early 1900s.
Thoroughbreds:
- Star ShootStar ShootStar Shoot was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was bred in Ireland, raced in the United Kingdom and was eventually imported to the United States to become a five-time leading sire in the early 1900s. He was a white stockinged, chestnut colt sired by the great British 1893 Triple Crown winner,...
(1898–1919), imported IrishIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
stallion that was a five-time leading sire in the U.S. - OgdenOgden (horse)Ogden was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse that was imported to the United States at a young age and became one of the top sires in the US during the 1910s. He notably sired Sir Martin, winner of the 1910 Coronation Cup in the UK, and The Finn, 1915 Belmont Stakes winner.-Pedigree:Ogden was...
(1894–1923), imported BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
stallion, sire of The FinnThe FinnThe Finn was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that is best remembered as the winner of the 1915 Belmont Stakes and as the sire of Zev and Flying Ebony, the respective winners of the 1923 and 1925 Kentucky Derbies. The Finn was foaled in Lexington, Kentucky at Hamburg Place, the stud farm of John...
and Sir Martin. - PlauditPlauditPlaudit was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. A descendant of English Triple Crown champion, West Australian, Plaudit is best known for winning the 1898 Kentucky Derby....
(1895–1919), 1898 Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
winner, sire of King JamesKing James (horse)King James was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by one of America's most important breeders, John E. Madden, King James was the son of 1898 Kentucky Derby winner, Plaudit...
, among others. - Sir MartinSir MartinSir Martin was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in 1906 in Lexington, Kentucky at Hamburg Place, the stud farm of noted turfman and horse trainer John E. Madden. Sir Martin was a half brother to the first Triple Crown winner Sir Barton, and he raced in the United States, Great Britain and...
(1906–1930), Thoroughbred stallion. - ImpImp (horse)Imp was a pure black Thoroughbred racing filly with a white diamond shaped star between her eyes. She was sired by Wagner out of Foundling and was foaled on March 5, 1894. Owned and bred by Daniel R. Harness of Chillicothe, Ohio, and trained by both Charles E. Brossman and Peter Wimmer , Imp's...
(1894–1909), 1899 Suburban HandicapSuburban HandicapThe Suburban Handicap is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is run at the classic one-and-one-quarter mile distance on dirt for a $400,000 purse....
winner, dam of Faust - Ida Pickwick (1888–1908), granddam of Old RosebudOld Rosebud (horse)Old Rosebud was an American Thoroughbred racehorse whose pedigree traced to the influential sire Eclipse, and through Eclipse to the founding stallion, the Godolphin Arabian. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine, Old Rosebud ranks 88th...
- Miss Kearney (1906–1925), dam of ZevZev (horse)Zev was an American thoroughbred horse racing champion.-Background:A brown colt, Zev was sired by The Finn out of the mare Miss Kearney . Bred by the famous horseman John E. Madden, Zev was owned by the Rancocas Stable of Harry F...
- Princess Mary (1917–1926), dam of Flying EbonyFlying EbonyFlying Ebony was an American thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by John E. Madden, who had already bred four Kentucky Derby winners, and was raced by New York carpet manufacturer, Gifford A. Cochran....
- Lady Sterling (1899–1920), dam of Sir Martin and Sir BartonSir BartonSir Barton, , was a chestnut thoroughbred colt who in 1919 became the first winner of the American Triple Crown.He was sired by leading stud Star Shoot out of the Hanover mare Lady Sterling. His grandsire was the 1893 English Triple Crown champion, Isinglass.Sir Barton was bred in Kentucky by...
- Springtime (d. 1930s), a polo pony
- T.V. LarkT.V. LarkT.V. Lark was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse owned by Chase McCoy of CR Mac Stables and trained by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame member, William Molter.At age two, T.V. Lark won the Arlington Futurity...
(1957–1975), leading U.S. sire in 1974. - Pink Pigeon (1964–1976), a broodmare
- Bel ShebaBel ShebaBel Sheba was an American thoroughbred racehorse. She was sired by the middle distance stallion Lt. Stevens, out of Belthazar, daughter of the great War Admiral....
(1970–1995), the dam of AlyshebaAlyshebaAlysheba was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won two legs of the Triple Crown in 1987. A successful sire, he produced 11 stakes winners....
Training career
After Whitney fired the trainer Sam Hildreth
Sam Hildreth
Samuel Clay Hildreth was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.Born in Independence, Missouri, Sam Hildreth began his training career in 1887, competing at racetracks in the Midwestern United States with such horses as the good racemare Hurley Burley, the dam of...
due to perceived poor performance, he persuaded Madden to train his horses, although the latter was reluctant. A well-known legend about Madden said that Hildreth, angered and drunk, was beating Madden about the head with a cane until an irate Madden pinned him to the floor and made him apologize for the insult.
Madden most notably trained:
- HamburgHamburg (horse)Hamburg was an American Thoroughbred race horse bred in Kentucky by James E. Kittson, brother to Norman W. Kittson who had been partners in Erdenheim Stud. His sire was the great Hanover by another great, Hindoo....
, Champion 2-year-old Male (1897) - NasturtiumNasturtium (horse)Nasturtium was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was the top two-year-old colt of 1901. He was a contender for the 1902 Epsom Derby, but did not run in the race due to illness.-Pedigree:...
, Champion 2-year-old Male (1901) - Blue GirlBlue Girl (horse)Blue Girl was an American Thoroughbred racemare that was the Champion 2 and 3-year old female in 1901 and 1902, respectively.-Pedigree:...
, Champion 3-year-old Female (1902) - Irish LadIrish LadIrish Lad was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and a world record holder.Bred by H. Eugene Leigh, in the fall of 1901 he sold the yearling to John Madden for $2,550. Madden conditioned him for racing and brought him to the track in the spring of 1902 where he showed enough potential...
, Champion 2-year-old Male (1902) - Salvidere, Champion 2-year-old Male (1906)
- Tangle, Champion 3-year-old Female (1906)
- Sir MartinSir MartinSir Martin was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in 1906 in Lexington, Kentucky at Hamburg Place, the stud farm of noted turfman and horse trainer John E. Madden. Sir Martin was a half brother to the first Triple Crown winner Sir Barton, and he raced in the United States, Great Britain and...
, half brother to Sir BartonSir BartonSir Barton, , was a chestnut thoroughbred colt who in 1919 became the first winner of the American Triple Crown.He was sired by leading stud Star Shoot out of the Hanover mare Lady Sterling. His grandsire was the 1893 English Triple Crown champion, Isinglass.Sir Barton was bred in Kentucky by...
, Champion 2-year-old Male (1908) - King JamesKing James (horse)King James was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by one of America's most important breeders, John E. Madden, King James was the son of 1898 Kentucky Derby winner, Plaudit...
, Champion Handicap Male (1909)
Personal life
Madden married Marie Anna Louise Megrue of CincinnatiCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
in June 1890. They had two sons, J. Edward Madden, Jr. (1894–1943) and Joseph McKee Madden (1899–1932). The couple separated on ill-terms in 1903. Anna and her relatives sued Madden and were counter sued for years afterward, especially in relation to her and her brother's roles in a trusteeship for the boys.
In 1905, after learning that his estranged wife planned to take their sons to Europe and fearing she would not return them, Madden took the boys from the convent school they attended in Madison, New Jersey. He took them back with him by train to Lexington, Kentucky. Anna moved to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and filed divorce proceedings in that state in 1906. Later that year Anna Madden married the wealthy New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
broker and turfman Louis Valentine Bell (1853–1925). Since the Maddens had been married in Kentucky and John Madden was not formally contacted in her divorce, the Kentucky court ruled that the divorce was not valid.
Madden finally secured full custody of their sons and filed for divorce from Anna Madden-Bell in February 1909. Anna Madden-Bell died on May 10, 1963 at the age of 91, having outlived both her husbands and both her sons.
Quasi-retirement
John Madden wanted his sons to follow in his footsteps and continue breeding Thoroughbreds at Hamburg Place. He let them begin to purchase horses at the ages of 15 and 10, but neither developed a lasting interest in the family business. They became involved in developing oilOil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
fields in the American West, a new area of discovery and risk.
In 1926, Madden sold most of his breeding stock; he sold 139 horses for $446,200. By that time, he had become distant from the horse racing industry. By investing heavily in the corn refining business, he increased his net worth to more than $9 million dollars. In October 1929, Madden, healthy for most of his life, developed pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
while saying at the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City. He died of a heart attack early in morning of November 3, 1929 in his room at the hotel. His body was returned to Kentucky and was interred in Cavalry Cemetery in Lexington. He died soon after two other great horse trainers, Sam Hildreth and James Rowe, Sr.
Descendants and Hamburg Place
The Madden sons inherited Hamburg Place and $2 million from his estate. During the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Joseph Madden committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on October 31, 1932 in New York City, by shooting himself with a loaded gun, on sale at the sporting store Abercrombie and Fitch.
Nearly eleven years later, his brother Edward Madden also committed suicide, dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 26, 1943 at Hamburg Place. Edward was survived by his wife and two sons, Patrick (1933–1999) and Preston W. Madden (b. 1935). Edward Madden had raised mostly polo ponies
Polo pony
A polo pony is the term used for a horse used in the game of polo. They may be of any breed or combination of breeds, though many have a significant amount of Thoroughbred breeding. They are called "ponies", but that is in reference to their agile type rather than their size...
at Hamburg Place.
It was not until his sons grew up and took an interest that they resumed Thoroughbred breeding in the 1950s at the farm. Preston Madden married Anita Myers
Anita Madden
Anita Madden , an American sportswoman, leader in the thoroughbred industry's high society and activist in political and economic issues in Kentucky. She was born Anita K. Myers to Orella Ferguson in Ashland, Kentucky...
. He notably stood the champion stallion T.V. Lark
T.V. Lark
T.V. Lark was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse owned by Chase McCoy of CR Mac Stables and trained by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame member, William Molter.At age two, T.V. Lark won the Arlington Futurity...
at the farm, and bred the 1987 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
winner Alysheba
Alysheba
Alysheba was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won two legs of the Triple Crown in 1987. A successful sire, he produced 11 stakes winners....
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