William S. Farish
Encyclopedia
William Stamps Farish III (born March 17, 1939 in Houston, Texas
) is an American
businessman and a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2001–2004).
. He is the grandson of William Stamps Farish II
, who was President of Standard Oil
from 1937 to 1942.
Farish grew up in Houston, Texas, where he attended St. John's School.
based in Houston, Texas
. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Kentucky
.
He has served on the Board of Directors
of Vaalco Energy Inc.
.
of thoroughbred
racehorses
, William Farish owns the 1800 acres (7.3 km²) Lane's End Farm
near Lexington, Kentucky
. A leading breeder of horses that compete around the world, Lane's End Farm hosted Queen Elizabeth
during her visit to Lexington. He also owns a home in the horse community of Wellington, Florida
.
Lane's End has a secondary 400 acres (1.6 km²) operation near Hempstead, Texas
. Farish's operations have bred and/or raced over 225 horses that became stakes winners, both individually and with partners. In 1972, his horse Bee Bee Bee
won the Preakness Stakes
and his filly Casual Look
won a British Classic, the 2003 Epsom Oaks
. In 1992 and again in 1999, he received the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder
.
William Farish has served as chairman of Churchill Downs
, home to the Kentucky Derby
.
as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom on March 5, 2001, appointed on July 11, 2001 and served until he resigned in early summer, 2004.
The United Kingdom
newspaper The Guardian
commented on his low profile during the period leading up to the Iraq War http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,926883,00.html. The former UK ambassador to Washington, Christopher Meyer, said that "as ambassador [Farish] proved as agreeable as he was invisible." (D.C. Confidential, Christopher Meyer, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2005)
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2001–2004).
Family and Early Life
His father, William Stamps Farish, Jr., was killed in an airplane accident during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He is the grandson of William Stamps Farish II
William Stamps Farish II
William Stamps Farish II was a pioneer in East Texas oilfield development, president of Standard Oil and a founding member and president of the American Petroleum Institute...
, who was President of Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
from 1937 to 1942.
- Wife: Sarah Sharp, a stepdaughter of Bayard Sharp
- Son: William Stamps Farish IVWilliam Stamps Farish IVWilliam Stamps Farish IV is an American businessman and son of Sarah Sharp and her husband William Stamps Farish III. He is best known as "Bill Farish" or "William S. Farish, Jr."...
- Daughters: Mary Farish Johnston, Laura Farish Chadwick, Hillary Farish Stratton
Farish grew up in Houston, Texas, where he attended St. John's School.
Business
Farish owns W.S. Farish & Co., a trust companyTrust company
A trust company is a corporation, especially a commercial bank, organized to perform the fiduciary of trusts and agencies. It is normally owned by one of three types of structures: an independent partnership, a bank, or a law firm, each of which specializes in being a trustee of various kinds of...
based in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
.
He has served on the Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of Vaalco Energy Inc.
Vaalco Energy Inc.
VAALCO Energy Inc., , is a small oil production company with annual revenues of $85 million. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "EGY"....
.
Lane's End Farm
A breederHorse 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...
of 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...
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...
, William Farish owns the 1800 acres (7.3 km²) Lane's End Farm
Lane's End Farm
Lane's End Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Versailles, Kentucky established in 1979. The original land was part of Bosque Bonita Farm which means beautiful woods and was originally owned by Abraham Buford, a Confederate Army General. The land was later bought by leading...
near 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...
. A leading breeder of horses that compete around the world, Lane's End Farm hosted Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
during her visit to Lexington. He also owns a home in the horse community of Wellington, Florida
Wellington, Florida
Wellington is a village in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. As of 2006, the village had a population of 55,584 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wellington is part of the South Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
Lane's End has a secondary 400 acres (1.6 km²) operation near Hempstead, Texas
Hempstead, Texas
Hempstead is a city in Waller County, Texas, United States. The community, located at the junctions of U.S. Highway 290, Texas State Highway 6, and Texas State Highway 159, is around fifty miles northwest of Downtown Houston. The population was 4,691 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of...
. Farish's operations have bred and/or raced over 225 horses that became stakes winners, both individually and with partners. In 1972, his horse Bee Bee Bee
Bee Bee Bee
Bee Bee Bee was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1972 Preakness Stakes. To date Bee Bee Bee is only one of eight Maryland-bred colts to win the Preakness and one of only eleven from the state to win a triple crown race.He was sired by multiple stakes winner Better Bee,...
won the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
and his filly Casual Look
Casual Look
Casual Look was the winning racehorse in the Epsom Oaks in 2003. Owned and bred by William S. Farish III, she was out of the mare Style Setter, a daughter of Manila, the 1986 Breeders' Cup Turf winner and that year's American Champion Male Turf Horse. Her sire was Red Ransom whose career ended...
won a British Classic, the 2003 Epsom Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
. In 1992 and again in 1999, he received the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor for breeders. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually.Its Canadian counterpart is the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Breeder....
.
William Farish has served as chairman of Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
, home to the 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...
.
Ambassador
Farish was nominated by President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom on March 5, 2001, appointed on July 11, 2001 and served until he resigned in early summer, 2004.
The United Kingdom
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...
newspaper The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
commented on his low profile during the period leading up to the Iraq War http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,926883,00.html. The former UK ambassador to Washington, Christopher Meyer, said that "as ambassador [Farish] proved as agreeable as he was invisible." (D.C. Confidential, Christopher Meyer, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2005)