Thorpe, Charles

Charles A.”Charley” Thorpe was born on July 6, 1862 in Chicago, IL to Alfred Patrick and Josephine Thorpe

He died on Feb. 11, 1916 in Omaha, NE. (He is buried in the Geneva cemetery.

He was married to Alice Nora Mabel Bassett on February 13, 1893 in Geneva, NE.

Charles and Alice had no children.

He grew up on the Ab Tucker horse farm near Geneva.

He began to ride professionally in 1881 by riding Harry Edwards (owned at Fairmont) and later riding Belle K. (foaled at the Ab Tucker farm) and progressed from Geneva and Lincoln to St. Louis and New Orleans and then to famous race tracks in Austria, France and England.

He was known in American and Europe as “The Honest Jockey.”

He had eighty wins to his credit while riding for royalty and titled European owners,

In 1892, he earned over $20,000, He made his first record on the wonderful Yo Tambien, winning the Garfield Park derby that year and winning seventeen out of eighteen starts on that mare.

His wife, Alice, had been a recorder in the office of the Fillmore County Clerk. Her father was C. H. Bassett and owned a furniture store at 966 G.

In 1897, he and his wife came from San Francisco for a short visit at home before going to New York City where Mr. Thorpe was going to ride during the racing season.

In 1897, the members of the Cosmopolitan Club of Geneva gave a banquet in honor of Mr. Thorpe who was home for a short time. The menu was elaborate, including lake trout, venison, quail, chicken, roast veal and loin of beef. Dick Low Lee, Geneva’s Chinese laundry man, was the chef.

While his wife, Alice, lived, his earnings were well invested.

In 1897, Alice purchased the building formerly used as her father’s furniture store at 966 G. (The building was later sold at a sheriff’s sale in 1915.)

In June 1900, he prepared to build a large home on the Taylor block in the east part of Geneva. A California architect was employed to draw the plans.

He built his two-story, thirteen room home on the square block bounded by 13th and 14th and G and H Streets in 1901. The house was built at a cost of $14,000. Upstairs in the billiard room were many oil paintings of those great horses he had ridden as well as many trophies he won. He had a cut glass and silver wine set from France, This home was the site of much entertaining of visitors far and near.

In Oct. 1903, his horse fell in a race in Paris, and he was severely injured.

In 1906, Charlie purchased the Klumb pool hall at 806 G.

In Oct. 1907, Mrs. Thorpe died at her home in Geneva at the age of 38.

After his retirement, he spent himself into poverty. He died in Omaha where he was a bartender and cleaning man at the buffet of the Omaha Livestock Exchange.Following his death, Geneva friends passed the hat to get funds to bury him. and was buried in the Potter’s field in the Geneva cemetery.

In 1937, Charles Sloan spoke to the Geneva Community Club, appealing for help in raising funds to buy a grave marker for Charlie Thorpe.

In May 1937, a special service was held after the regular Memorial Day services at the Geneva cemetery at the grave of Charlie Thorpe. A new marker had been placed on the grave of Thorpe, who died in July 1916.

His mansion later became the Geneva Hospital, managed by Mr. and Mrs. Joe Bender.

In 1958, it was auctioned to make way for a new hospital. The lumber was bought by Vern Domeier to build an overhead elevator on his farm.

In May 1978, Mr. Thorpe was enshrined in the Nebraska racing Hall of Fame posthumously.