Tom Yawkey — Owner

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

Biography for Tom Yawkey

Thomas Austin Yawkey was not only the longtime owner of the Red Sox but a Boston institution and a pillar of Major League Baseball, though the legacy of his ownership was not without controversy. Willing to dig deep into his pockets to try and bring championships to Boston, coming close only a few times in his 44 years of running the team, his club suffered for years because Yawkey was slow to accept integration in baseball, a stigma lifted off the collective shoulders of the organization only in recent years. Still, he was a sportsman in the truest sense of the word and regarded highly by his peers, so much that he was the first person elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame who had never served as a player, a manager, or a general manager. Yawkey's first order of business after purchasing the club after the 1932 for $1.5 million was to renovate Fenway Park and spent another $1.5 million on a near-total reconstruction, employing thousands of laborers who had been affected by the Great Depression; his efforts had the park turned into a palace when the gates opened in April of 1934. Trying to build contenders, Yawkey would pull out his wallet on several occasions to pay big money for talent, sometimes wisely but more often foolishly; he mistakenly believed that his inheritance would solve any problem and often threw unheard-of amounts of money at players who were either unproven or past their prime. Even still, he managed to bring Hall-of-Fame talent into the fold over the years in the form of Joe Cronin, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Bobby Doerr, Ted Williams, and Carl Yastrzemski. Yawkey also did his part for the community; over the years, he funneled much of his time and money into the local community for groups like the Jimmy Fund, which even today helps raise money for sick children. By 1975, as his team tried one more time to secure that elusive World Series championship for its beloved owner, the once vibrant sportsman was in ill-health and those closest to him knew that his time was nearing an end; one year later, after Boston's third and final attempt had failed, Yawkey passed away due to leukemia.

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.