Henryk de Kwiatkowski
Encyclopedia
Henryk Richard de Kwiatkowski (February 22, 1924 - March 17, 2003) was a Polish-born
member of the Royal Air Force
who became an aeronautical engineer and made a fortune in business in North America
and who owned Calumet Farm
, one of the most prestigious Thoroughbred
horse breeding
and racing
farms in the United States
.
Born in Poznań
, Poland
, at age 15 Henryk de Kwiatkowski was captured by the Russian Army
and sent to a Siberia
n labor camp. After being imprisoned for two years he escaped and made his way through Iran
then to South Africa
where in March 1943 he boarded the troopship
Empress of Canada
heading for England
. The ship was torpedo
ed and sunk by an Italian
submarine
but de Kwiatkowski survived and eventually reached England where he joined the Royal Air Force
, serving until 1947. According to his son, Henryk de Kwiatkowski was the basis for the character Abel Rosnovski in the Jeffrey Archer novel
Kane and Abel
. http://www.christies.co.uk/promos/nov04/1542_1430/specialist.asp?article=6
After the War, Henryk de Kwiatkowski worked at a factory job and put himself through university. In 1952 he emigrated to Canada
to work as an engineer at the Pratt & Whitney
aircraft company in Montreal
. In 1957, he went to the United States where he established Kwiatkowski Aircraft Ltd. and Intercontinental Aircraft Ltd. headquartered in New York City
making his fortune through leasing and brokering the sale of used commercial airplanes.
In 1967, Henryk de Kwiatkowski purchased a home in the exclusive community of Lyford Cay
on New Providence Island in The Bahamas
that was developed by the friend and fellow Thoroughbred owner/breeder, E. P. Taylor
. He would also acquire a luxury Beekman Place apartment in Manhattan
and an 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) estate in the exclusive gated community of Conyers Farm in Greenwich, Connecticut
that included four guest houses and a 22-stall stable. The property was sold by his estate in 2004 for US$45 million. (photos)
An art collector who favored the Impressionists
, his collection included works by Paul Gauguin
, Georges Braque
and Claude Monet
.
. His Kennelot Stables in Greenwich, Connecticut operated a polo team on which he played. He was also a member and player with the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in Wellington, Florida
. Along with Canadian retailing magnate Galen Weston
and American actress Stefanie Powers
, Henryk de Kwiatkowski was among the first foreign members of the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, Windsor, Berkshire
whose membership includes HRH The Prince of Wales
.
when he acquired the filly
Kennelot who became the foundation for his racing
and breeding
business and for whom he named his stable
s in Greenwich, Connecticut. At its peak, Kennelot Stables owned more than 60 horses. De Kwiatkowski bought the stallion
Danzig
but constant health problems forced the horse into retirement after winning the three races entered. However, Danzig became one of North America's most successful sires
. De Kwiatkowski owned Conquistador Cielo
, the Belmont Stakes
winner and 1982 Horse of the Year
who was syndicated for a then record price of $36.4 million. Among his other horses were 1985 Kentucky Derby runner-up Stephan's Odyssey and Danzig Connection
who won the 1986 Belmont Stakes.
At a 1992 liquidation auction, de Kwiatkowski purchased the fabled 770 acres (3.1 km²) racing and breeding facilities of Calumet Farm
in Lexington, Kentucky
. In addition to the $17 million for the main property, he acquired another 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) for $175,000, and the Calumet name for $210,000. Following Henryk de Kwiatkowski's death at his home in Lyford Cay in 2003, John Asher, a spokesman for Churchill Downs
said: "He did a lot of things in thoroughbred racing, but saving Calumet Farm was something the industry will be eternally indebted to him for." http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/19/sports/henryk-de-kwiatkowski-79-calumet-farm-owner-dies.html
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
member of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
who became an aeronautical engineer and made a fortune in business in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and who owned Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of Lexington's blue grass country, the finest horse breeding region in...
, one of the most prestigious 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 breeding
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 racing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
farms in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Born in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, at age 15 Henryk de Kwiatkowski was captured by the Russian Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and sent to a Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n labor camp. After being imprisoned for two years he escaped and made his way through Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
then to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
where in March 1943 he boarded the troopship
Troopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
Empress of Canada
Empress of Canada
RMS Empress of Canada or Empress of Canada may refer to one of the following ships of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company:, a 21,517-ton ship built in Glasgow, Scotland; Vancouver-based ship served the Far East; served as troopship in World War II; torpedoed and sunk off Africa by an Italian...
heading for England
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...
. The ship was torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed and sunk by an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
but de Kwiatkowski survived and eventually reached England where he joined the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, serving until 1947. According to his son, Henryk de Kwiatkowski was the basis for the character Abel Rosnovski in the Jeffrey Archer novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Kane and Abel
Kane and Abel (novel)
Kane and Abel is a 1979 novel by British author Jeffrey Archer. The title and story is a play on the Biblical brothers, Cain and Abel.Released in the United Kingdom in 1979 and in the United States in February 1980, the book was an international success. It reached No...
. http://www.christies.co.uk/promos/nov04/1542_1430/specialist.asp?article=6
After the War, Henryk de Kwiatkowski worked at a factory job and put himself through university. In 1952 he emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to work as an engineer at the Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
aircraft company in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. In 1957, he went to the United States where he established Kwiatkowski Aircraft Ltd. and Intercontinental Aircraft Ltd. headquartered in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
making his fortune through leasing and brokering the sale of used commercial airplanes.
In 1967, Henryk de Kwiatkowski purchased a home in the exclusive community of Lyford Cay
Lyford Cay
Lyford Cay is a private gated community located on the western tip of New Providence Island, Bahamas. Considered one of the world's wealthiest and most exclusive neighborhoods, the Lyford Cay Club was built during the latter part of the 1950s by prominent Canadian businessman Edward Plunkett Taylor...
on New Providence Island in The Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
that was developed by the friend and fellow Thoroughbred owner/breeder, E. P. Taylor
E. P. Taylor
Edward Plunket Taylor was a Canadian business tycoon and famous breeder of thoroughbred race horses. Known to his friends as "Eddie", he is universally recorded as "E. P...
. He would also acquire a luxury Beekman Place apartment in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and an 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) estate in the exclusive gated community of Conyers Farm in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
that included four guest houses and a 22-stall stable. The property was sold by his estate in 2004 for US$45 million. (photos)
An art collector who favored the Impressionists
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
, his collection included works by Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
, Georges Braque
Georges Braque
Georges Braque[p] was a major 20th century French painter and sculptor who, along with Pablo Picasso, developed the art style known as Cubism.-Early Life:...
and Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
.
Polo
Henryk Kwiatkowski began playing the sport of poloPolo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
. His Kennelot Stables in Greenwich, Connecticut operated a polo team on which he played. He was also a member and player with the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in 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:...
. Along with Canadian retailing magnate Galen Weston
Galen Weston
Willard Gordon Galen Weston, OC, OOnt , is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He is the Chairman and President of George Weston Limited...
and American actress Stefanie Powers
Stefanie Powers
Stefanie Powers is an American actress best known for her role as Jennifer Hart in the 1980s television series Hart to Hart.-Early life:...
, Henryk de Kwiatkowski was among the first foreign members of the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
whose membership includes HRH The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
.
Thoroughbred horse racing
In the mid 1970s Henryk de Kwiatkowski became involved in Thoroughbred horse racingThoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
when he acquired the filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
Kennelot who became the foundation for his 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...
and breeding
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...
business and for whom he named his stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
s in Greenwich, Connecticut. At its peak, Kennelot Stables owned more than 60 horses. De Kwiatkowski bought the stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
Danzig
Danzig (horse)
Danzig was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is best known as a leading sire. He was purchased for $310,000 by Henryk de Kwiatkowski at the 1978 Saratoga Yearling Sale...
but constant health problems forced the horse into retirement after winning the three races entered. However, Danzig became one of North America's most successful sires
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
. De Kwiatkowski owned Conquistador Cielo
Conquistador Cielo
Conquistador Cielo was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Purchased as a yearling for $150,000 by Henryk de Kwiatkowski, he was trained by Woody Stephens. Racing as a two-year-old, Conquistador Cielo won two races in his four starts...
, the 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...
winner and 1982 Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
who was syndicated for a then record price of $36.4 million. Among his other horses were 1985 Kentucky Derby runner-up Stephan's Odyssey and Danzig Connection
Danzig Connection
Danzig Connection is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning an American Classic race.Owned and bred by Henryk de Kwiatkowski under his Kennelot Stables banner, Danzig Connection was sired by Kwaitkowski's champion, Danzig, and out of the mare Gdynia...
who won the 1986 Belmont Stakes.
At a 1992 liquidation auction, de Kwiatkowski purchased the fabled 770 acres (3.1 km²) racing and breeding facilities of Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of Lexington's blue grass country, the finest horse breeding region in...
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...
. In addition to the $17 million for the main property, he acquired another 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) for $175,000, and the Calumet name for $210,000. Following Henryk de Kwiatkowski's death at his home in Lyford Cay in 2003, John Asher, a spokesman for 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...
said: "He did a lot of things in thoroughbred racing, but saving Calumet Farm was something the industry will be eternally indebted to him for." http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/19/sports/henryk-de-kwiatkowski-79-calumet-farm-owner-dies.html