Tom Yawkey

Tom and Jean Yawkey

Years as Majority Owner: 1933-1976

Elected to Red Sox Hall of Fame: 1995
Elected to Red Sox Hall of Fame: 1980

Memorable Moments for Tom Yawkey

  • 25 February 1933 - In the midst of the Great Depression, Bob Quinn sells the Red Sox franchise to Thomas Austin Yawkey, who had celebrated his 30th birthday four days earlier.
  • 5 January 1934 - The center field bleachers at Fenway Park, recently constructed from concrete and steel to replace the wooden grandstands, are destroyed by a suspicious fire. The Red Sox still manage to have the bleachers, part of a renovation project being directed by new owner Tom Yawkey, ready for Opening Day.
  • 25 December 1944 - Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey marries Jean Hiller in South Carolina, one month after divorcing his first wife in Reno, Nevada.
  • 9 July 1976 - Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey dies at the age of 73 due to leukemia and ownership is passed on to a trust headed by his widow, Jean.
  • 12 March 1980 - Owner Tom Yawkey becomes the first person elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame who had never been a player, a manager, or a general manager.
  • 26 February 1992 - Owner Jean Yawkey, widow of Tom Yawkey, passes away at the age of 83, as ownership passes to a trust managed by John Harrington, who continues as club president.