george wilkes
Year of Birth:
1856
Immortal:
Yes
Elected as Immortal:
1955
Year of Death:
1882
Gait:
Trotter
Record:
t,2:22
Sire:
Hambletonian
Dam:
Dolly Spanker
Sire of Dam:
Henry Clay
Biography:
George Wilkes, foaled in Orange County, New York in 1856, was owned by Judge Thomas Felter of Greenwood Lake. The son of Hambletonian and Dolly Spanker, he showed speed as a three-year-old and was sold for $4,000 to W. L. Simmons. He proved to be the third fastest trotter of his day and in twelve years of racing his best mark was 2:22. He performed under saddle, to wagon and sulky, and finished in the money every start. George Wilkes was one of four of Hambletonian's sons who established sire lines that lead to nearly all trotters and pacers racing in America today. George Wilkes died in Ashgrove, Kentucky in May 1882.
Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 1994 book, The Immortals