Oakleigh Thorne
THORNE, OAKLEIGH (1866–1948), inducted between 1920–1948
Artist Unknown
Oakleigh Thorne owned a company that published tax guides for attorneys and accountants; he was president of Trust Company of America (a Wall Street bank); and he was a director of Wells Fargo & Company. In 1918, he left these business pursuits to purchase Briarcliff, a 4,000-acre farm in Dutchess County, New York, where he proceeded to demonstrate that the region was as suitable to beef cattle production as it had been to dairy farming. He was the first individual to win the grand championship at the International Live Stock Exposition twice, in 1931 and 1933. Oakleigh Thorne was president of the American Angus Association from 1929 to 1931 and was inducted into the Angus Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame in 1934. As chairman of the Better Beef Association, Thorne led efforts to establish grades on market beef in 1927.
Source: Saddle & Sirloin Guidebook 2026, p. 187