Renowned for “taking his own line” in the hunting field and described by friends as “utterly fearless,” the venerable J. Fife Symington, Jr., Glyndon, Md., died in December at age 97.

Born in Baltimore, Md., Mr. Symington graduated from Princeton University (N.J.) in 1933. In 1934 he joined Pan American World Airways and was instrumental in bringing the first international flights to the East Coast.

A staunch Republican, Mr. Symington ran for the U.S. Congress unsuccessfully in 1958, 1960 and 1962.

From 1969-1971 he served as ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago under President Richard Nixon.
Yet Mr. Symington’s love of horses, hounds and steeplechasing surely eclipsed his public achievements in his heart.

Growing up in the heyday of equestrian sports, Mr. Symington was a lifelong member of the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club (Md.). Elected MFH from 1965-1968, his tenure began a decade of hound exchange between the Green Spring and foxhunting packs in England such as the Quorn, Fernie, Belvoir and Cottesmore, among others. He was also Hunt Committee Chairman from 1952-1959, hunt president in 1958, 1960, 1974 and 1983, and hunt treasurer from 1961-1965.

During that era 20-year-old Andrew Barclay came to the Green Spring Hounds and subsequently succeeded legendary huntsman Les Grimes when he retired. While he gained immeasurable insight from Grimes, Barclay also credited Mr. Symington.

“His [Symington’s] lifelong pursuit of foxhunting all over the world has made him a major asset to the Green Spring Hounds, as well as to me,” said Barclay. “Mr. Symington spent many hours those first few seasons showing me the country and how to get around it. And, believe me, when Mr. Symington shows you how to get around, you’d better be on a good horse. There aren’t many people who can cover country the way that he can, letting nothing get in his way!”

As often happens in Maryland, a love of foxhunting leads to competing over timber. In the early 1950s Mr. Symington piloted his Palau in the My Lady’s Manor and the Grand National hunt meetings. Graduating to owner status, Mr. Symington sent forth the likes of Prince Vins (ridden by his nephew Jay Griswold), Knockinglass, Green Road, Not Too Sweet and Irish Sailor. The best, however, and Mr. Symington’s particular favorite, was Handsome Daddy, third in the 1975 Grand National and fourth twice in the 1977 and ’78 runnings of the Maryland Hunt Cup.

Mr. Symington was married to the late Martha Frick and is survived by his close friend, Natalie Brengle; a son, J. Fife Symington III, the former governor of Arizona; three daughters, Martha Frick Symington Sanger, Butler, Md., Helen Clay Chace, of New York, and Arabella Dane, of New Hampshire; a brother, Donald Symington, Baltimore, Md.; a sister Leith Symington Griswold, Monkton, Md.; 13 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.

As he requested, Mr. Symington was buried in full hunting attire. Green Spring huntsman Andrew Barclay, now retired, blew “Gone Away.”