Born in Glen Cove, New York to a Quaker family, Valentine attended Swarthmore, then Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, in 1924 playing and coaching the American 1924 Olympic champion Rugby team.
Born in Glen Cove, New York to a Quaker family, Valentine obtained a his B.A. degree at Swarthmore College and then a M.A. degree at Balliol College of Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. In 1924, he played for and coached the American 1924 Olympic champion Rugby team.