William V.S. Thorne

William V.S. Thorne (March 22, 1865 – February 6, 1920) was an American financier in the railroad and hospital purchasing industries. He was also a tennis player active in the late 19th century US Open.

Early life and education Thorne was born in Dutchess County, New York, the second of five children to Samuel Thorne and Phebe Van Schoonhoven. His father was president of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, and a director of the Central Trust Company, the Sixth Avenue Railroad and the Bank of America. His grandfather Jonathan Thorne (1801-1884) was a leatherworker and tannery manager and "proprietor of one of the largest establishments of trade in New York," according to Prominent Families of New York (1898). Thorne was a seventh generation descendant of William Thorne (c. 1606-c. 1657), one of the original patentees of Flushing and a proprietor of Jamaica, Queens. He descended from Quakers, but in 1870 he was listed as a member of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Thorne graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale in 1884.

Tennis Thorne reached the All-Comers final of the U.S. National Championships in 1884, defeating future champion Henry Slocum and Clarence Clark. He lost to Howard Taylor, who was subsequently defeated in the Challenge Round by three-time defending champion Richard D. Sears.

All-Comers singles (1 runner-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 1884 U.S. Championships Grass Howard Taylor 4–6, 6–4, 1–6, 4–6

Career Thorne started at Great Northern Railway Co. before becoming a purchasing assistant for railroad tycoon E. H. Harriman. He was a director at Southern Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads, Wells Fargo Express Oregon Short-Line and the Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company.

Personal life He was married to Theresa Keyser. He died of pneumonia at his home on Park Avenue on February 6, 1920.

Legacy The Bellwether League Foundation, a healthcare supply chain industry organization called Thorne the “father of cooperative buying."