Hitchcock, Thomas, Jr.

Hitchcock, Thomas, Jr., 1900–1944, American polo player and aviator, b. Aiken, S.C. The son of avid polo players, Tommy Hitchcock played in his first tournament at the age of 13. Hitchcock's polo playing in 1921 won for the United States the International Polo Challenge Cup, and later he excelled in several international tournaments. One of the most outstanding polo players of all time, Hitchcock received from the U.S. Polo Association the highest ranking, the 10-goal handicap, from 1922 until 1940. In World War II, Hitchcock was killed in an airplane crash in England while commanding a U.S. fighter-plane group.