Background
The Dodges had three other children and lived their early years in Detroit and Grosse Pointe.
The Dodges had three other children and lived their early years in Detroit and Grosse Pointe.
Frances finished high school at Mountain. Vernon Seminary (Now the George Washington University)in 1933 and married James Johnson on July 1, 1938.
In 1920, after the death of John Dodge, the family moved to Meadow Brook Farms in Rochester (Oakland County) Michigan which had been a hunting and golf retreat for the Dodge brothers. The next year, on her 25th birthday, Frances received control of her $10,000,000 trust fund from the John Dodge estate). She celebrated at a surprise birthday party to the tunes of the Tommy Dorsey orchestra and the vocals of Frank Sinatra.
Frances founded Dodge Stables at Meadow Brook Farm where she bred American Saddlebreds.
Under the management of Wallace Bailey, and later, Earl Teater, Dodge Stables became a legend in the show horse world. She and Jimmy Johnson"s breeding program produced a string of champions including Wing Commander, a five gaited horse who became a legend in the show horse world.
Castleton was to become a standardbred breeding farm as successful as any worldwide. This record stood for 54 years, until broken by Moni Maker, a trotter bred by Mistress van Lennep"s daughter, Fredericka Caldwell.
The same year Dodge Stables was moved to Castleton Farm.
Frances Dodge continued to support harness racing and was considered one of the women pioneers in the sport. In 1972, she was elected to the World Championship Horse Show Hall of Fame, along with her horse Wing Commander, and trainer Earl Teater.
She was the eldest of the three children of John Francis Dodge (co-founder of Dodge Motor Company) and his third wife Matilda Rausch Dodge (Wilson). Together, the Johnsons won the Hambletonian in 1948 with homebred Hoot Mon, and again with Victory Song. Their red chestnut pacing star, Ensign Hanover, won the Little Brown Jug in 1949. lieutenant is believed that Ensign Hanover is the first horse to have ever flown in an airplane, when he flew, crosstied in the aisle of a District of Columbia - 3 cargo plane from Indiana to New York where he won a stake race at Roosevelt Raceway (the idea was put forth by famed aviator Wiley Post) On September 27, 1940 Mistress Johnson set the record for trotting under saddle, riding Greyhound, completing a mile in 2:01.3/4 at Lexington, Kentucky"s famous Red Mademoiselle (Miss) The Van Lennep Memorial Achievement Award is given to recognize extraordinary contribution by an individual or organization in the Standardbred industry.
