‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Red Sox Ownership

John I. Taylor owned the organization from 1904-1911 after his family purchased the club from Henry J. Killilea on April 19, 1904. The son of General Charles H. Taylor, who created the modern Boston Globe and also became a minority owner of the team, John made key changes and contributions that have become indelible parts of the franchise. In December 1907, Taylor adopted red as his team's color and changed the team name to the "Red Sox" after Boston's National League franchise got rid of their red stockings.

In early 1911, Taylor, looking to find a new home for his team, oversaw the land acquisition for a new ballpark in the "Fenway" neighborhood of Boston. The ground breaking for the new ballpark took place in September 1911, the same month Taylor sold 50% of the team's interests to James R. McAleer, who became the club's president. However, Taylor stayed on to oversee the construction of the new ballpark and also became its landlord as part of the transaction. The park's foundations were already in place by that December and construction continued to proceed at a swift pace. On April 9, 1912, the newly-christened Fenway Park hosted its first baseball game, an exhibition that the Red Sox won 2-0 over Harvard College. Eleven days later, on April 20, 1912, the park's first official regular season game was played between the Red Sox and the New York Highlanders (now the Yankees). When explaining his reason for choosing the new park's name, Taylor casually and rhetorically asked, "because [the park's] in the Fenway, isn't it?" The fact that the appellation provided free publicity for the Taylor family's Fenway Realty Company didn't hurt either.

James R. McAleer purchased a 50% controlling share of the Red Sox from John I. Taylor in September 1911 and was named the club's president, a role he maintained until November 1913, when he sold his share in the organization to Joseph J. Lannin. Prior to his ownership role with the Red Sox, McAleer played for the National League's Cleveland Spiders and Cleveland Blues and also managed the Blues during parts of his stints there. He was instrumental in the founding of the new American League in 1901 and was a player/manager for the St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles), one of the AL's charter franchises, from 1901-1909. He also managed another AL charter franchise, the Washington Senators (now the Minnesota Twins) from 1909-1911.

During McAleer's tenure with the Red Sox he presided over the opening of Fenway Park on April 20, 1912 and as one of his first moves upon purchasing a majority stake in the club, McAleer recruited Jake Stahl to be team's manager. Under Stahl, the 1912 Red Sox won 105 games during the regular season, still the highest total in club history, en route to winning the second World Series in the franchise's history.

Canadian-born Joseph J. Lannin moved to Boston in pursuit of a career and became a self-made hotel and real estate tycoon, from humble beginnings as a hotel doorman. An avid baseball fan, Lannin held a minority stake in the Boston Braves before he purchased a 50% controlling interest in the Red Sox from James R. McAleer in November 1913. In early 1914, Lannin became the sole owner of the club when he purchased the remaining interests of the organization from John I. Taylor and the Taylor family, which included ownership of Fenway Park and the land upon which the ballpark resided.

In July 1914, Lannin was instrumental in securing the rights of a young lefty pitcher from the minor league Baltimore Orioles named George Herman Ruth, popularly nicknamed Babe by his teammates. With Ruth rounding out the pitching staff, the Red Sox had spectacular seasons in 1915 and 1916, winning the World Series both years. During the 1916 season, Lannin also introduced "Ladies Day at Fenway Park" with special pricing, turnstiles and a reception room for female patrons. Lannin sold the team to Broadway theatrical agent, producer and director Harry H. Frazee on November 1, 1916, using the proceeds to invest in other real estate ventures including Roosevelt Field in New York, whence Charles Lindbergh departed for his historic transatlantic flight.

A Peoria, IL native, Harry H. Frazee purchased the Red Sox and Fenway Park from Joseph J. Lannin on November 1, 1916. Like Lannin, Frazee was a former bellhop; the New York-based Frazee made his fortune as a real estate manager and as a stock broker before becoming a Broadway producer, director and theatrical agent.

The First World War dealt Frazee, and all of baseball, a severe blow, causing extensive turnover in player personnel and the truncation of the 1918 season. However, Frazee and his business manager Ed Barrow did a masterful job of orchestrating a team that won the World Series in 1918 by defeating the Chicago Cubs four games to two. The victory was the last World Championship for the club before their triumph in 2004 and the last matchup between the two storied franchises before meeting in May 2011.

Despite winning the 1918 World Series, Frazee is most remembered for making a string of trades with the New York Yankees toward the end of his tenure, including the much-discussed trade of Babe Ruth for $100,000 and a $300,000 mortgage on Fenway Park. In 1920, Barrow joined the Yankees as their business manager and furthered a number of additional trades with his former club. While Barrow began building a dynasty in New York, the fortunes of the Red Sox soured quickly and Boston suffered through mediocre seasons from 1920-1922. Frazee was also entangled as part of a minority group of club owners who had a series of battles with American League founder and president Ban Johnson. Looking to sell the Red Sox, Frazee remained the owner until August 1923, when a group led by J.A. Robert Quinn purchased the club from him.

Along with a group of investors, J.A. Robert Quinn purchased the Red Sox from Harry H. Frazee in August 1923. Under the new ownership group, Quinn was appointed club's president and entrusted with the day-to-day affairs of the ballclub. Quinn was the patriarch of a baseball family that still has members working in Major League Baseball front offices today. Prior to his involvement with the Red Sox, Quinn was a minor league catcher before serving as general manager of the minor league Columbus Senators of the American Association.

During Quinn's tenure, the Red Sox suffered through a decade of futility. The Red Sox were perennial cellar dwellers in the American League and his ownership lacked the capital necessary to pull the team up. Quinn's group eventually sold the club to Tom Yawkey in February 1933. After his stint with the Red Sox, Quinn moved on to front office roles with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves before serving as President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York from 1948 to 1951.

Just four days after celebrating his 30th birthday, Thomas A. Yawkey, an entrepreneur and businessman, purchased the Red Sox from J.A. Robert Quinn on February 25, 1933. A Yale University graduate, Tom Yawkey had grown up around professional baseball players because his uncle and adoptive father, Bill Yawkey, had owned the Detroit Tigers during the early years of the 20th century. When Bill passed away from the Spanish Flu in 1919, Tom inherited millions of dollars, but a clause in his father's will prevented the young man from taking control of the money until he turned 30.

Once he gained control of his new team and fortune, Tom Yawkey immediately devoted himself to improving his team on the field and renovating Fenway Park. Following the 1933 season, Yawkey undertook ambitious plans to level the 10-foot incline in left field known as Duffy's Cliff and replace the 25-foot high fence with an even higher concrete wall. In addition to improvements to the left-field wall, Yawkey replaced the wooden bleachers throughout the park with remodeled steel and concrete sections in the expanded left and right-field grandstands. Yawkey also remodeled and expanded the front offices, concession stands, employee rooms and press box.

During Yawkey's massive reconstruction of Fenway Park, a fire broke out on January 5, 1934 and destroyed a significant portion of the ballpark and the new construction projects that were underway. Undeterred, Yawkey only intensified the construction efforts and the "new" Fenway Park opened in time for the start of the 1934 season.

Yawkey brought the same enthusiasm that he displayed in renovating Fenway Park into improving the team on the field as well. Sparing no expense, he signed free agents and drafted promising stars. He was also well-known for being generous to his players and devoting himself to philanthropic endeavors, such as the team's legendary partnership with the Jimmy Fund, an unparalleled relationship that started in 1953 and continues to this day. During Yawkey's 43-year ownership tenure, the Red Sox won American League pennants in 1946, 1967 and 1975, but in each World Series his team fell short in a heartbreaking seventh game.

Tom Yawkey passed away on July 9, 1976, having owned the club for a longer period than any other Red Sox owner in team history. Unfortunately, he never witnessed his beloved Red Sox win a World Championship. The following year, the section of Jersey Street bordering Fenway Park between Van Ness Street and Brookline Avenue was renamed Yawkey Way in his honor. Today, and since the ballpark opened in 1912, most fans entering Fenway Park do so from this street that bears his name.

The beloved wife of Tom Yawkey, Jean Remington Yawkey (née Hollander) spent several years alongside her husband overseeing various aspects of the ballclub while he ran the team. When Tom passed away in 1976, Mrs. Yawkey succeeded her husband as the team's president and assumed control of the club's day-to-day operations. As the primary beneficiary of the Yawkey Estate, she led the team through the immediate aftermath of her husband's passing, before the Yawkey Estate sold the franchise to a partnership including Mrs. Yawkey, Edward "Buddy" LeRoux and Haywood Sullivan in 1978. As a result of this transaction, Mrs. Yawkey continued to charter the team until her passing in 1992.

Jean Hollander grew up in Freeport, Long Island and was a New York fashion model before becoming Mrs. Tom Yawkey in 1944. Along with her husband, Mrs. Yawkey supported many philanthropic causes, including as a trustee of the Yawkey Foundation. She was also the first woman to be elected a director of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

In May 1978, the Yawkey Estate sold the team to a partnership that included Jean Yawkey, Edward G. "Buddy" LeRoux and Haywood C. Sullivan. Mrs. Yawkey, the widow of former owner Tom Yawkey, had led the team since her husband's passing in 1976. Under the new arrangement, Mrs. Yawkey remained the club's president, while LeRoux oversaw the team's business interests and Sullivan handled baseball operations decisions as the team's general manager.

LeRoux was a Woburn, MA native who had served as the Red Sox trainer from 1966 to 1974. He had also worked for the NBA's Boston Celtics and the NHL's Boston Bruins and had amassed his wealth through a series of real estate investments. Sullivan was born in Georgia and raised in Alabama, and he had been a catcher with the Red Sox in the 1950s. After his playing career, Sullivan ascended through the management ranks before joining Yawkey and LeRoux in the 1978 partnership.

In 1981, Mrs. Yawkey established the Jean R. Yawkey trust and transferred her interests in the club to the trust. John L. Harrington, who had originally joined the team as treasurer in 1973, was appointed co-trustee by Mrs. Yawkey. While the Yawkey/LeRoux/Sullivan triumvirate continued through the middle of the decade, the club encountered turbulence when LeRoux attempted a dramatic ownership take-over in June 1983. In an incident dubbed "Coup LeRoux," the former Red Sox trainer joined team minority partners in an effort to overthrow Yawkey and Sullivan. The sides ultimately went to court and, after a prolonged legal battle, Yawkey and Sullivan prevailed.

The Jean R. Yawkey Trust eventually bought out LeRoux's share of the team in 1987, giving the Yawkey Trust two out of three general partner votes. With LeRoux gone, Mrs. Yawkey and Sullivan led the club as general partners for the next five years, with Sullivan also serving as the club's CEO/COO during a portion of the time.

In February 1992 Mrs. Yawkey passed away at the age of 83, leaving the Red Sox without a Yawkey-led ownership for the first time in nearly six decades. Into the leadership void stepped Mrs. Yawkey's trusted confidante, John Harrington.

After the passing of Jean Yawkey in February 1992, the Yawkey Trust continued to hold two of the team's three general partnership stakes, which it had done since buying out Buddy LeRoux's stake in 1987. In the wake of Mrs. Yawkey's passing, John Harrington served as trustee of the Yawkey Trust with sole authority over Red Sox matters. In 1993, the Yawkey Trust bought out Haywood Sullivan's stake in the club, giving John Harrington and the Yawkey Trust all three general partnership units and a 53.49% ownership in the team.

Before entering baseball, Harrington was an assistant professor at Boston College's Graduate School of Management. In 1970, Joe Cronin, the former player, manager and GM of the Red Sox, hired Harrington to be the controller for the American League, where Cronin was president. Tom Yawkey hired Harrington as the treasurer of the Red Sox in 1973 after the retirement of long-time Red Sox Treasurer Joe Cummiskey and Cronin's decision to move the AL offices to New York City. After Tom passed away, Harrington served as a trusted confidante to Mrs. Yawkey, particularly during the tumult of the 1980s, and became the club's CEO after her death.

Under Harrington's leadership, the Red Sox made the postseason in 1995, 1998 and 1999 and Fenway Park hosted the 1999 All-Star Game, one of the most memorable Midsummer Classics in history. Harrington also served as a negotiator for Major League owners during the Major League Baseball work stoppage of 1994-1995. In 2001, the Yawkey Trust sold the Red Sox to a group led by John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino. After the sale, Harrington has continued to preside over the Yawkey Foundations, which under his supervision have contributed millions of dollars to Boston-area charitable causes and institutions.

On December 20, 2001, John Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino and a group of investors successfully outbid competitors to purchase the Red Sox, Fenway Park and 80% of the New England Sports Network (NESN) from the Jean R. Yawkey Trust and its trustee John L. Harrington. Major League Baseball approved the sale on January 16, 2002, and the sale closed on February 27, 2002.

Henry became Principal Owner of the Club, Werner the Chairman and Lucchino was named President/CEO. Each had experience in Major League Baseball before becoming stewards of the Red Sox: Henry as a minority owner of the New York Yankees and sole owner of the Florida Marlins; Werner as owner of the San Diego Padres; and Lucchino with the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres.

Henry is a lifelong baseball fan who grew up in the Midwest listening to St. Louis Cardinals games on the radio. He often refers to baseball as an "affair of the heart" and is known throughout the game as an involved and passionate owner. He currently serves as Chairman of John W. Henry & Company, Inc. (JWH), which he founded in 1981, and is a leader in alternative asset financial product innovation.

Werner, who spent time in the Boston area as a college student and was captivated by the Red Sox' "Impossible Dream" season of 1967, is a television producer and executive who is a member of the National Broadcast Hall of Fame. After starting his television career at ABC, Werner helped create such landmark shows as "The Cosby Show," "A Different World" and "That '70s Show."

Lucchino became a sports executive after his mentor and friend, the legendary sportsman and trial attorney Edward Bennett Williams, recruited him to be general counsel to the Washington Redskins. When Williams bought the Orioles in 1979, Lucchino was named their general counsel and, in 1988, Williams named Lucchino president of the ballclub.

After Henry, Werner, Lucchino and their partners were chosen as the winning group to buy the Red Sox, Principal Owner John Henry called it "a new day", and the new owners immediately set an ambitious agenda for the club in the form of five commitments:

• To field a team worthy of the fans' support
   
• To preserve all that's good about Fenway Park and to take that experience to a higher level
   
• To market aggressively to a new, broad region
   
• To be active participants in the community
   
• To end the Curse of the Bambino and win World Championships for Boston, New England and Red Sox Nation.
   

To fulfill these goals, the ownership and front office immediately set out to improve the Club both on and off the field. Within three years, the Red Sox ended their 86-year long championship drought by finally winning the World Series in 2004, and then repeating in 2007. Henry, Werner, Lucchino and their partners also founded the Red Sox Foundation, which established itself as a cornerstone of the New England philanthropic community and has quickly become one of the largest charitable foundations in sports.

The Red Sox have engaged the greater New England community by reaching out to fans via caravans, road trips and town hall meetings throughout the region to strengthen the bond between the club and its fan base. The ownership has also marketed the Red Sox more aggressively, making the team one of the most recognized brands in the world of sports, and focused their attention on making Fenway Park accessible to as many fans as possible year-round.

The group led by Henry, Werner and Lucchino were the only group of investors who advocated saving and improving the team's historic home, Fenway Park. Once they assumed control of the club, the ownership embarked on an extensive plan to upgrade every facet of the ballpark and, on March 23, 2005, Henry, Werner and Lucchino announced that the Club was formally committing to remain at Fenway Park for the long-term.

During a decade-long cycle of major annual improvements that began in 2002, the Club has completed construction projects such as the Green Monster Seats, Right Field Roof Deck, EMC Club, State Street Pavilion, the Big Concourse, the Third Base Concourse and many other structural and fan-friendly upgrades to the facility.

The "Year X Improvements" to Fenway Park, completed for the 2011 Red Sox season, represent the final installment of the 10-year plan and were highlighted by the addition of three new high definition video boards, the conclusion of repair to the lower seating bowl and the creation of the new Home Plate Concourse. With these enhancements, the investment for the ten-year program totals approximately $285 million, the largest capital investment in the history of the iconic ballpark.

Today, Fenway Park is well positioned to remain active as "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" for decades to come and the Red Sox organization as a whole continues to have a bright future under the stewardship of its current owners.

Current Red Sox Ownership

Principal Owner: John W. Henry

Chairman: Thomas C. Werner

President/Chief Executive Officer: Larry Lucchino

Vice Chairmen: David Ginsberg, Phillip H. Morse

General Counsel: Ed Weiss

Partners

Theodore Alfond - John A. Kaneb - Arthur E. Nicholas

William Alfond - Seth Klarman - Frank Resnek

Thomas R. DiBenedetto - Henry McCance - Martin Trust

Michael Egan - New York Times Co. - Jeffrey Vinik

Michael Gordon - (Jim Lessersohn) - Herb Wagner