Buddy Jacobson's Early Years: Brooklyn in the Great Depression (1930–1941)
On December 10, 1930, Howard "Buddy" Jacobson was born in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, into a world that was both vibrant and deeply uncertain. The Great Depression had gripped the nation just over a year earlier, following the stock market crash of October 1929. By the time Buddy took his first breath, unemployment was soaring past 15% and would soon reach a staggering 25% nationwide. New York City, and Brooklyn in particular, bore the brunt of the economic collapse. Factories shut their doors, breadlines stretched around city blocks, and families across the borough struggled to keep their homes and put food on the table.
But the Jacobson household was different. Buddy was born into a Jewish family with deep and powerful connections to one of the most glamorous and lucrative worlds in America: thoroughbred horse racing. His mother, Florence Jacobs, was the sister of Hirsch Jacobs — who would become the most successful horse trainer in American history — and Eugene Jacobs, also a well-known trainer. His father, Joseph Jacobson, had married Florence on April 14, 1926, and the family lived in Queens while Buddy was born in Flatbush. Florence later recalled that as soon as she held him, she said, "He's my little Buddy" — and the nickname stuck for life.
But the Jacobson household was different. Buddy was born into a Jewish family with deep and powerful connections to one of the most glamorous and lucrative worlds in America: thoroughbred horse racing. His mother, Florence Jacobs, was the sister of Hirsch Jacobs — who would become the most successful horse trainer in American history — and Eugene Jacobs, also a well-known trainer. His father, Joseph Jacobson, had married Florence on April 14, 1926, and the family lived in Queens while Buddy was born in Flatbush. Florence later recalled that as soon as she held him, she said, "He's my little Buddy" — and the nickname stuck for life.
The World Into Which He Was Born
The Brooklyn of 1930 was a world unto itself. Before the consolidation of the five boroughs was complete in the popular imagination, Brooklyn was still the City of Brooklyn to many of its 2.5 million residents — the third largest city in America if counted separately. It was a borough of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own character: the tree-lined streets of Flatbush, the bustling waterfront of Red Hook, the tenement-heavy districts of Williamsburg and Brownsville, and the emerging middle-class enclaves of Bensonhurst and Borough Park.
Flatbush, where Buddy was born, was a predominantly middle-class area known for its wide avenues, one- and two-family homes, and strong community fabric. Its main commercial corridor, Flatbush Avenue, was a bustling thoroughfare lined with shops, theaters, and restaurants. The neighborhood was home to a significant Jewish population — immigrants and children of immigrants from Eastern Europe — who brought with them a culture of ambition, resilience, and close-knit family ties. It was this world, one of struggle and aspiration, that formed the backdrop of Buddy's earliest years.
The America of the early 1930s was a nation transformed by hardship. President Herbert Hoover's policies had failed to stem the economic tide, and by 1932, one in four American workers was unemployed. In New York City, the situation was even more acute — nearly one in three residents was out of work, and in Harlem, that number exceeded 50%. The city's famed skyline continued to rise — the Empire State Building opened in 1931, the Chrysler Building had just been completed — but at street level, the mood was grim. Soup kitchens operated by charities and religious organizations fed thousands daily. Men sold apples on street corners. Children went to school in threadbare clothing, and many families took in boarders just to pay the rent.
Flatbush, where Buddy was born, was a predominantly middle-class area known for its wide avenues, one- and two-family homes, and strong community fabric. Its main commercial corridor, Flatbush Avenue, was a bustling thoroughfare lined with shops, theaters, and restaurants. The neighborhood was home to a significant Jewish population — immigrants and children of immigrants from Eastern Europe — who brought with them a culture of ambition, resilience, and close-knit family ties. It was this world, one of struggle and aspiration, that formed the backdrop of Buddy's earliest years.
The America of the early 1930s was a nation transformed by hardship. President Herbert Hoover's policies had failed to stem the economic tide, and by 1932, one in four American workers was unemployed. In New York City, the situation was even more acute — nearly one in three residents was out of work, and in Harlem, that number exceeded 50%. The city's famed skyline continued to rise — the Empire State Building opened in 1931, the Chrysler Building had just been completed — but at street level, the mood was grim. Soup kitchens operated by charities and religious organizations fed thousands daily. Men sold apples on street corners. Children went to school in threadbare clothing, and many families took in boarders just to pay the rent.
The Jacobs Family: A Horse Racing Dynasty
What set young Buddy Jacobson apart from the millions of other children growing up in Depression-era Brooklyn was his family's extraordinary connection to the sport of kings. While most of the neighborhood struggled through the economic downturn, the Jacobs family was riding a wave of spectacular success on the racetracks of America.
Buddy's uncle, Hirsch Jacobs, was already on his way to becoming a legend. From 1933 onward, Hirsch would be the leading trainer in the United States by wins for 11 out of 12 years. Operating from humble beginnings in East New York, Hirsch had built a training operation with his partner Isidor "Izzy" Bieber that would eventually produce the champion Stymie — a horse claimed for $1,500 that earned nearly a million dollars. The wealth and prestige flowing from the track meant that Buddy grew up in the orbit of one of the most successful sports dynasties of his era.
Another uncle, Eugene Jacobs, was also a well-regarded trainer, and Sidney Jacobs rounded out the family's presence in the sport. For young Buddy, the racetrack was not a distant fantasy — it was family business. While other boys idolized baseball players or movie stars, Buddy's heroes wore racing silks and trained thoroughbreds. The sights, sounds, and smells of the stable were familiar to him from his earliest memories. He would have heard the grown-ups talk about claiming races, stakes winners, and the politics of the track. It was an education that no school could provide — and one that would define the course of his life.
Buddy's uncle, Hirsch Jacobs, was already on his way to becoming a legend. From 1933 onward, Hirsch would be the leading trainer in the United States by wins for 11 out of 12 years. Operating from humble beginnings in East New York, Hirsch had built a training operation with his partner Isidor "Izzy" Bieber that would eventually produce the champion Stymie — a horse claimed for $1,500 that earned nearly a million dollars. The wealth and prestige flowing from the track meant that Buddy grew up in the orbit of one of the most successful sports dynasties of his era.
Another uncle, Eugene Jacobs, was also a well-regarded trainer, and Sidney Jacobs rounded out the family's presence in the sport. For young Buddy, the racetrack was not a distant fantasy — it was family business. While other boys idolized baseball players or movie stars, Buddy's heroes wore racing silks and trained thoroughbreds. The sights, sounds, and smells of the stable were familiar to him from his earliest memories. He would have heard the grown-ups talk about claiming races, stakes winners, and the politics of the track. It was an education that no school could provide — and one that would define the course of his life.
Family Turmoil and a Changing Brooklyn
As Buddy grew from a toddler into a boy, the world around him continued to change. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932, ushering in the New Deal — a series of programs designed to provide relief, recovery, and reform. In New York City, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) put thousands of men to work building parks, bridges, and public buildings. LaGuardia Airport began construction. The Triborough Bridge opened in 1936. The city was rebuilding itself, even as the Depression lingered.
But at home, the Jacobson family was unraveling. According to historical records, 1939 was a year of major family arguments. The marriage between Joseph Jacobson and Florence Jacobs was fracturing under pressures that remain private to history. In 1940, when Buddy was nine years old, his parents divorced. For a boy growing up in an era when divorce was still relatively uncommon and carried a social stigma, this must have been a deeply painful experience. The family's close ties to the Jacobs racing dynasty may have provided some stability, but the dissolution of his parents' marriage left a mark.
Buddy moved with his mother — or perhaps between households — in the years that followed. The family's roots in Queens kept them connected to the racing world, as many trainers and owners lived in the borough, close to the Aqueduct and Jamaica racetracks. Even as a young boy, Buddy was already spending time around the stables, learning the rhythms of the track, and absorbing the knowledge that would one day make him a champion trainer in his own right.
But at home, the Jacobson family was unraveling. According to historical records, 1939 was a year of major family arguments. The marriage between Joseph Jacobson and Florence Jacobs was fracturing under pressures that remain private to history. In 1940, when Buddy was nine years old, his parents divorced. For a boy growing up in an era when divorce was still relatively uncommon and carried a social stigma, this must have been a deeply painful experience. The family's close ties to the Jacobs racing dynasty may have provided some stability, but the dissolution of his parents' marriage left a mark.
Buddy moved with his mother — or perhaps between households — in the years that followed. The family's roots in Queens kept them connected to the racing world, as many trainers and owners lived in the borough, close to the Aqueduct and Jamaica racetracks. Even as a young boy, Buddy was already spending time around the stables, learning the rhythms of the track, and absorbing the knowledge that would one day make him a champion trainer in his own right.
A Boy Who Chose Horses Over Schoolbooks
By 1941, Buddy Jacobson was just ten years old — roughly the age when most children in New York would have been in the fifth or sixth grade, looking ahead to junior high and then high school. But Buddy was not like most children. The pull of the racetrack was too strong, and the turmoil at home had left him restless and eager for a different path.
That year, Buddy made a decision that would define his life: he dropped out of school and went to work full-time for his uncle Eugene Jacobs, who operated a horse training barn. At just eleven years old, Buddy began his apprenticeship in the rough-and-tumble world of New York horse racing. He mucked stalls, groomed horses, walked hots, and did every grunt work task the stable required. He learned how to read a horse's temperament, how to spot lameness, how to apply a bandage, and how to prepare a thoroughbred for a race. The stable became his classroom, and his uncles — Eugene, Hirsch, and Sidney — became his teachers.
The timing was significant. America entered World War II later that year, following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The nation mobilized for war, and horse racing, like every other industry, was affected. Many trainers and stable hands enlisted or were drafted. The remaining workforce was stretched thin. For an eager, hard-working boy like Buddy, this created opportunities. He could take on responsibilities far beyond his years, and he did. While other boys his age were playing stickball in the streets of Brooklyn or studying arithmetic in cramped classrooms, Buddy Jacobson was learning the trade that would make him one of the most successful — and most controversial — horse trainers of his generation.
That year, Buddy made a decision that would define his life: he dropped out of school and went to work full-time for his uncle Eugene Jacobs, who operated a horse training barn. At just eleven years old, Buddy began his apprenticeship in the rough-and-tumble world of New York horse racing. He mucked stalls, groomed horses, walked hots, and did every grunt work task the stable required. He learned how to read a horse's temperament, how to spot lameness, how to apply a bandage, and how to prepare a thoroughbred for a race. The stable became his classroom, and his uncles — Eugene, Hirsch, and Sidney — became his teachers.
The timing was significant. America entered World War II later that year, following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The nation mobilized for war, and horse racing, like every other industry, was affected. Many trainers and stable hands enlisted or were drafted. The remaining workforce was stretched thin. For an eager, hard-working boy like Buddy, this created opportunities. He could take on responsibilities far beyond his years, and he did. While other boys his age were playing stickball in the streets of Brooklyn or studying arithmetic in cramped classrooms, Buddy Jacobson was learning the trade that would make him one of the most successful — and most controversial — horse trainers of his generation.
The World Beyond the Stable
While Buddy Jacobson was learning the horse business, the world outside the stable was being reshaped by war and social change. The 1939 New York World's Fair, held in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park — just a short distance from where the Jacobsons lived in Queens — had showcased a vision of a "World of Tomorrow" with futuristic marvels like television, the View-Master, and the first demonstrations of robotics. Buddy was nine years old when the fair opened, and like millions of New Yorkers, he may well have walked its grounds, glimpsing a future that seemed both thrilling and impossible.
By the early 1940s, the fair was over, and the world was at war. Rationing of gasoline, sugar, meat, and other goods became a part of daily life. Air raid drills were conducted in schools. Newsreels in movie theaters showed footage of battles overseas. For a boy working at the racetrack — a sport that was itself deemed essential for morale and allowed to continue through the war — these were formative years. He saw the older men go off to fight and younger ones, like himself, step up to fill their shoes.
Though Buddy never finished elementary school, let alone entered high school, his education in the ways of horses and men was second to none. By the time he reached the age when most boys would have been entering high school — around fourteen, in 1944 — Buddy Jacobson was already a seasoned hand in the racing business, working alongside his uncles at the highest levels of the sport. The boy from Flatbush had found his calling, and the racetrack would never let him go.
By the early 1940s, the fair was over, and the world was at war. Rationing of gasoline, sugar, meat, and other goods became a part of daily life. Air raid drills were conducted in schools. Newsreels in movie theaters showed footage of battles overseas. For a boy working at the racetrack — a sport that was itself deemed essential for morale and allowed to continue through the war — these were formative years. He saw the older men go off to fight and younger ones, like himself, step up to fill their shoes.
Though Buddy never finished elementary school, let alone entered high school, his education in the ways of horses and men was second to none. By the time he reached the age when most boys would have been entering high school — around fourteen, in 1944 — Buddy Jacobson was already a seasoned hand in the racing business, working alongside his uncles at the highest levels of the sport. The boy from Flatbush had found his calling, and the racetrack would never let him go.
The story of Buddy Jacobson's early years is the story of a specific time and place: Depression-era Brooklyn, where a boy born into a family of horse racing royalty navigated economic hardship, parental divorce, and the call of a world far removed from the schoolroom. By the time other children his age were entering high school for the first time, Buddy Jacobson had already spent three years working beside legends of the turf, learning lessons that no textbook could teach. The foundation of his extraordinary — and ultimately tragic — life was laid in those early years, in the stables and on the backstretches of New York's great racetracks, where a little boy named Buddy found his destiny among the horses.