Capt. H. Stewart Treviranus, lifelong horseman and art conservator, died peacefully with his family around him at Westminster At Lake Ridge, Va., on Feb. 29. He was 89.
Born in Germany, Mr. Treviranus fled with his family first to Britain in 1935, then relocated to Canada during the World War II, where he married Marilyn Massey in 1947. He rode in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics for Canada, and was one of only three riders who were clear in all jumping phases in the three-day event.
Mr. Treviranus moved with his family to Clarke County, Virginia, in 1953 as the national distributor for Rice Horse Trailers and Mordax Studs, which allowed him to be involved with the early years of the sport of combined training. As an instructor and technical delegate in the mid-1950s, his national experience made him realize the need for a national organization in the United States.
He reported this advice to Alexander Mackay-Smith, who recognized the urgent need to form a governing body with uniform standards and an interest in promoting growth from the grassroots up, and always gave Mr. Treviranus credit as being the impetus. As a result, Mr. Mackay-Smith invited 30 individuals to meet in Chicago in 1959, and the U.S. Combined Training Association (now the U.S. Eventing Association) was born.
Mr. Treviranus’ contributions to the sport included writing the first rulebook, many years as TD at horse trials, designing and building courses, instructing at the Green Mountain Training Center in Vermont, and co-founding the Virginia Combined Training Center as its executive director. Mr. Treviranus taught the cross-country section every year and lectured in between the lessons. His devotion at the grassroots level was unquestionably responsible for much of the growth and understanding of combined training.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mr. Treviranus was equally passionate as a pioneer in art restoration and conservation. His clients came to include the National Gallery of Art and the Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington, D.C., the U.S. government, Jimmy Mills and Paul Mellon. His career choice occurred when he became friends with the sporting artist Jean Bowman in the mid-1950s. She recognized his technical artistic talents, natural design abilities and encouraged him to become a trained conservator of art works. His illustrious career lasted 50 years.
The USCTA logo was his design, as was the North American Riding For The Handicapped Association logo. He drew headers for The Chronicle of the Horse, and he could sketch brilliantly. For many years, he drew the family Christmas cards, depicting all the pets and horses getting ready for Christmas–some helping, some hindering, and all part of the comical scene.
In the late 1970s, he developed another passion, which rivaled his horses and art life: Scottish Country Dancing. He was as a striking a figure in a kilt as he had been on a horse, and he became president of the Washington area St. Andrew’s Society and a member of the Museums of Scotland during the time the Crown of Scotland was being repatriated to Scotland from England.
Mr. Treviranus moved to Loudoun County in the mid-1960s and lived there until 1981, when he moved to Washington D.C. with his wife Ann, who survives him.
Mr. Treviranus is also survived by three daughters: Leslie, Denya and Caroline; and three grandchildren.
