Henry Babson

Henry B. Babson (December 1, 1875 – October, 1970) was an American entrepreneur, investor in phonograph technology, and notable breeder of Arabian horses.

He hired Louis Sullivan to design his country estate, enjoyed racing custom sailboats, and, in the 1930s, began to import Arabian horses to the United States.

Douglass was an inventor and patented a number of improvements to the phonograph and was a pioneer in the development of color technology for film.

Beginning in 1903, he traveled worldwide, including China, Russia, the Far East and Europe as a representative for the Victor Talking Machine Company, selling over $100,000 worth of phonographs.

Due to his success in business and investments, Babson was able to travel internationally and ultimately fulfilled his dream of owning purebred Arabian horses.

[7] In 1932, when he was 57 years old, he made his first major importation from Egypt of two stallions and five mares, and built a farm near Grand Detour, Illinois, for his horse breeding operation.

[2] The most notable of Babson's imports was the stallion *Fadl, who went on to sire the champion Fa-Serr, who is a major genetic source of the color black in modern Arabians.

Horses strongly influenced by Babson breeding are generally darker in color, mostly dark bay, liver chestnut and black.