William Orville DeWitt Jr. (born August 31, 1941) is anAmerican businessman who is currently the principal owner,managing partner andchairman of theSt. Louis Cardinals, aprofessional baseballfranchise which competes inMajor League Baseball (MLB).^[1] The Cardinals have won twoWorld Series — in2006 and2011 — during DeWitt's time as owner. In addition to the Cardinals, DeWitt has also owned or invested in theCincinnati Stingers hockey club,Baltimore Orioles, theCincinnati Reds and theTexas Rangers. Business interests outside baseball include Reynolds, DeWitt & Co., which ownsArby's franchises and invests in theU.S. Playing Card Company and thepetroleum companySpectrum 7.

William DeWitt Jr.
DeWitt at the 2011 World Series parade
Born	(1941-08-31)August 31, 1941 (age 83) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Education	Yale University Harvard Business School
Employer	St. Louis Cardinals
Known for	Chairman of theSt. Louis Cardinals
Title	Managing partner and chairman
Spouse	Katharine Cramer
Children	4
Parent(s)	William DeWitt Sr. and Margaret H. DeWitt

DeWitt, the son of longtimeMajor League Baseball executiveBill DeWitt and Margaret H. DeWitt, was born inSt. Louis, Missouri, where he attendedSt. Louis Country Day School. He was around baseball constantly as a child; his father owned theSt. Louis Browns andCincinnati Reds, and DeWitt served as a Browns batboy. On August 19, 1951, the little personEddie Gaedel served as a pinch hitter at a Browns game, wearing DeWitt's jersey to the plate. He earned a bachelor's degree fromYale University in economics in 1963 and anM.B.A. fromHarvard University in 1965.^[2]

DeWitt was part of an investment group led byFrancis L. Dale that purchased theCincinnati Reds for $8 million from his father, Bill Sr., on December 5,1966.^[3]

DeWitt joined Cincinnati investment firmGradison & Co. in 1974. In 1979, along withMercer Reynolds, he founded the investment firmReynolds, DeWitt & Co. The firm owns 63Arby's franchises, whose value has been estimated at $50.4 million and is an investor inCincinnati-basedU.S. Playing Card Company, with an estimated value of about $120 million. It also holds a $40 million stake inNewport Aquarium inNewport, Kentucky.^[4] DeWitt is also involved with DeWitt Capital Group, a private equity firm registered in 2012.^{[citation needed]} DeWitt has been part owner of theCincinnati Reds and theBaltimore Orioles.^[5]

In 1984, one of DeWitt's business ventures, theoil companySpectrum 7, boughtGeorge W. Bush'sArbusto Energy, which, in turn, merged withHarken Energy in 1986. WhenEddie Chiles prepared to sell theTexas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989, DeWitt and Bush gathered investors to buy the team.^[5]

DeWitt has also held shares in theNational Football League'sCincinnati Bengals and the formerCincinnati Stingers of theWorld Hockey Association.^[2]

DeWitt was part owner of theRiverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati on December 3, 1979,when 11 people were killed prior to a concert by The Who.

In 1995, DeWitt andStephen F. Brauer purchased the St. Louis Cardinals fromAnheuser-Busch for $150 million.^[6] He oversees all league, financial, operational and baseball affairs for the club.^[2] Since DeWitt bought the team, the Cardinals have won twoWorld Series (2006 and2011), fourNational League pennants, 11division titles, and have made 15 totalplayoff appearances.^[7]Forbes estimated that the team was worth $1.4 billion in 2014 and $2.1 billion in July 2019.^[8] The Cardinals are one of the largest privately held firms in St. Louis, bringing in an estimated $233 million in revenue in 2012.^[9]

In 1997, DeWitt established Cardinals Care, anonprofit organization that builds baseball fields, helps youth baseball programs, and awardsgrants to children's boards. Through January 2017, Cardinals Care had distributed some $900,000 a year.^[10] As of 2013, the organization has built 18 baseball fields in theGreater St. Louis area.^[11] Since 2004, the organization has run Redbird Rookies, a network of 20 leagues for nearly 4,500 children around Greater St. Louis and in rural sections ofMissouri andIllinois.^[12] who would not otherwise have the opportunity. It provides equipment and other necessities to the players, training for coaches and organizers, and workshops for parents.

The Cardinals have purchased three of their minor league affiliates since the DeWitt group took over. In 1998, DeWitt purchased thePalm Beach Cardinals of theFlorida State League (minor league A-ball) and, in 2005, theSpringfield Cardinals of theTexas League (AA).^[2] As of April 2013, the team had negotiated to purchase theMemphis Redbirds of thePacific Coast League (AAA) from the Memphis Redbirds Foundation (MRF), a local non-profit entity. However, talks went on hold due todefaultedbonds on the building ofAutoZone Park.^[13] On November 16, 2013, the Cardinals announced a resolution to purchase the team while the city purchased the stadium. The Cardinals agreed to lease the stadium from the city while Memphis will upgrade the park.^[14] In 2013,Forbes listed the Redbirds as one of the ten most valuable minor league franchises.^[15]

To expand the Cardinals' international presence, DeWitt opened baseball academies in theDominican Republic and placed representatives in six foreign countries.^[2][16]

In 2006, the Cardinals moved from their old home,Busch Memorial Stadium, toBusch Stadium in2006. The $365 million stadium is one of the few majority-privately funded MLB stadiums, along with theSan Francisco Giants'Oracle Park and theLos Angeles Dodgers'Dodger Stadium.^[17] Busch Stadium cost $45 million (12%) in a long-term loan fromSt. Louis County, while, by comparison theMilwaukee Brewers'American Family Field ended up drawing 77.5% inpublic funding.^[18]

In conjunction with opening the new Busch Stadium, a mixed-use retail, entertainment, hotel, residential and office space known asBallpark Village was planned for development adjacent to Busch Stadium. However, several years of delays postponed the groundbreaking and construction until spring of 2013.^[19]

In2009, the Cardinals hosted theAll-Star Game.

DeWitt began emphasizing developing talent as much as possible through theminor leagues, rather than relying mainly onfree agents. Seventeen of the 25 players on the Cardinals' 2011 World Series roster were Cardinals' draftees.^{[citation needed]}

In January2014, the city of Memphis cleared the Cardinals to purchase the Memphis Redbirds from the MRF.^[20] Ballpark Village construction was completed and it opened in March 2014.^[21] The Cardinals also announced the rechristening of the teamHall of Fame Museum, with an annual selection process commencing in 2015. Twenty-two former Cardinals players and personnel were announced for induction into the Hall of Fame for the inaugural class of 2014. Closed since 2008, when theInternational Bowling Hall of Fame moved toTexas, this reincarnation of the museum is located in the newly constructed Ballpark Village within the same building as theCardinal Nation Restaurant.^[22]

The Cardinals' value exceeded $1 billion for the first time in 2015 whenForbes appraised the Cardinals outright at $1.4 billion,^[23] making them the 27th-most valuable sports franchise in the world,^[24] and sixth-principalfranchise in Major League Baseball (MLB).^[23] It was an increase from an $800 million pricing and eighth in the echelon in2014.^[25] Their revenue was $294 million while their operating income was $73.6 million,^[23] and their overall assessment was approximately $200 million higher than the MLB average of $1.2 billion. Mike Ozanian ofForbes remarked that the Cardinals were "baseball's biggest anomaly", with outsize value outpacing their status as one of baseball's "smallestmarkets", and Ballpark Village was a popular destination fordining andentertainment. The Cardinals' localtelevisionratings (7.76) graded the highest among allmajor league teams.^[26]

Reports surfaced on June 16,2015, that theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were reviewing an alleged incident involving Cardinals' front office officialshacking into theHouston Astros' database of players, scouting reports and proprietary statistics. It was regarded as the first known case ofcorporateespionage involvingcomputer network hacking inprofessional sports.^[27]

On September 19, 2015, the Cardinals became the first team in MLB to clinch a playoff spot thatseason. It also extended a franchise record of five consecutive seasons of reaching the postseason, a record which the club had set in2014.^[28]

DeWitt has had votes in the Contemporary Baseball Committee in 2011-13, 2016–19, 2022, and 2024.

In 2003, PresidentGeorge W. Bush appointed DeWitt to be on thePresident's Intelligence Advisory Board and tapped his wife, Kathy, to serve on theNational Endowment for the Arts.^[29][30]

DeWitt and his wife, Katharine "Kathy" Cramer DeWitt, live inIndian Hill, Ohio. They have four children, Katie, Bill, Andrew, and Margot and twelve grandchildren.^[2]Bill DeWitt III is the president of the Cardinals.^[31] Andrew E. DeWitt is the founder and CEO of Dewey's Pizza.^[32]

• List of St. Louis Cardinals owners and executives