Bill Bartholomay | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bartholomay in 1970 | |
| Born | (1928-08-11)August 11, 1928 Evanston, Illinois, USA |
| Died | March 25, 2020(2020-03-25) (aged 91) New York, New York, USA |
| Education | North Shore Country Day School |
| Alma mater | Lake Forest College |
| Occupation(s) | Major League Baseball team owner and executive |
William Conrad Bartholomay (August 11, 1928 – March 25, 2020) was anAmerican business executive who made his living in the insurance industry inChicago but became widely known as the owner who broughtMajor League Baseball (MLB) to theSoutheastern United States with theAtlanta Braves in1966. Although he sold the franchise toTed Turner in late 1975, Bartholomay remained an executive with the Braves until his death, over 57 years since he acquired the team late in1962 when it was still based inMilwaukee.
Bartholomay was born inEvanston, Illinois. His father, Henry, was an executive at Alexander & Alexander, one of the largest insurance brokerages in the United States.[1] His mother, Virginia (née Graves), drove for theU.S. Army Motor Corps inWorld War I and was active in theAmerican Red Cross duringWorld War II. One of William's great-grandfathers, also Henry Bartholomay, emigrated fromGermany toRochester, New York, where he establishedBartholomay Brewing Company in 1874. Another great-grandfather, Conrad Seipp, founded Chicago'sConrad Seipp Brewing Company. Henry and Virginia's family was friendly withPhilip K. Wrigley, the chewing-gum magnate and longtime owner of theChicago Cubs.[2]
William was an alumnus ofNorth Shore Country Day School andLake Forest College[3] and entered the insurance business after his graduation from college.
Bartholomay first entered into baseball ownership at age 33 in when, in 1961, he assembled a group of investors into the Lasalle Corporation, which acquired the 46 percent minority share of theAmerican League'sChicago White Sox owned byChuck Comiskey, grandson of the team'slegendary founder.[2] But his involvement with his hometown team did not last long. In November 1962, he and his LaSalle Corporation sold their stake in the White Sox to majority ownersArthur andJohn Allyn, and bought theMilwaukee Braves of theNational League (NL) fromLou PeriniofBoston.[4][5][6] The purchase price was a reported $6.2 million.[7]
Despite the Braves' early success inMilwaukee, where the team had set league attendance records (after the franchise was moved from Boston) from 1953 to 1958, fan support was waning badly when Bartholomay purchased the team. In 1962, the Braves had attracted only 766,921 toMilwaukee County Stadium.[8] Bartholomay became intent on moving the team toAtlanta, a growing regional center, where there was more television revenue, and where the new, 52,000-seatAtlanta Stadium had recently been built. He wanted to be the first man to bring a baseball team to theDeep South. Bartholomay worked with many civic leaders to help attain his dream. After an extended legal battle with Milwaukee that kept the Braves from moving through the1965 season, and many death threats, the National League agreed to the shift to Atlanta. The case ultimately led to baseball's guidelines on local ownership.[9]
The Atlanta Braves' first ten seasons were marked by aNational League West Division title in1969 andHank Aaron's historic pursuit ofBabe Ruth's career home run record. On April 8, 1974, in the fourth inning of the Braves' home opener—played before a packed house of 53,775—Aaron smashedAl Downing's delivery into the Braves' left-field bullpen for his record-setting 715th career blast, setting off a memorable celebration. However, the Braves were swept by theNew York Mets in the1969 National League Championship Series, Aaron, 40, was traded after the1974 campaign, and a succession of mostly mediocre teams drove down attendance after it reached its initial peak of 1.54 million fans in the club's debut season in Atlanta.[8]
In1975, Bartholomay was approached with a business proposition by a friend,Ted Turner. The two knew that a baseball team and network deal would be a good way to market the Braves on a national scale and provide programming for Turner's developing (TBS) network. Bartholomay agreed and sold the controlling interest of the team to Turner (ofTurner Broadcasting System, Inc., and owner ofCNN), while retaining his interest aschairman.[10]
Bartholomay was a Life Trustee ofIllinois Institute of Technology.[11][12]
On March 25, 2020, Bartholomay died inNew York-Presbyterian Hospital,New York City, of complications resulting from a respiratory illness, subsequent to a bout withpneumonia in December 2019. He was 91 years old.[13][14]