John Borland Thayer II (April 21, 1862 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman who had a thirty-year career as an executive with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He was a director and second vice-president of the company when he died at age 49 in the sinking of the RMS Titanic, on April 15, 1912. In his youth, Thayer was also a prominent sportsman, playing baseball and lacrosse for the University of Pennsylvania and first-class cricket for the Philadelphian cricket team.
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Early life and cricket career
Thayer was born in Philadelphia and attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he was captain of the baseball team in 1879. A member of a prominent American cricketing family, he played his first match for the Merion Cricket Club as a 14-year-old and continued playing for them until his death. Thayer was a part of the Philadelphian side that visited the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1884. During that tour, he scored only 817 runs, with an average of 28, and took 22 wickets for 21 runs each. In his career, Thayer appeared in seven matches now recognised as first-class matches. Three of these were played for the Philadelphians, and four were played for an "American-born" side. All were played at the Germantown Cricket Club in Pennsylvania. In his first-class career, he scored 138 runs at 11.50 and took six wickets at 26.83. His highest score (24) and best bowling (3 for 17) both came for Philadelphia against the United States in October 1883. In minor cricket, his highest scores were 134 not out v Philadelphia in 1896 and 107 not out against Winnipeg in 1882, both for Merion CC.