Charles Shipman Payson
Encyclopedia
Charles Shipman Payson was the owner of the New York Mets
of the National League
from through . In 1975, he inherited the club upon the death of his wife, Mets founder Joan Whitney Payson
.
Payson was a graduate of Yale University
and Harvard Law
and became a prominent lawyer and businessman in New York City. He married Joan Whitney in 1924, and together they funded the building of Pepperdine University
's library.
Charles didn't share his wife's enthusiasm for the Mets. He delegated his authority to his three daughters, with their youngest, Lorinda Payson de Roulet, becoming team president. His daughters in turn left the baseball side to board chairman M. Donald Grant
. However, when it became apparent that Grant had mismanaged the team, it was Payson himself who forced Grant out.
In 1980, he sold the franchise to Doubleday & Co..
Payson was a graduate of Harvard Law School
.
In 1977, he married Virginia Kraft, a writer for Sports Illustrated. They remained married until his death.
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
from through . In 1975, he inherited the club upon the death of his wife, Mets founder Joan Whitney Payson
Joan Whitney Payson
Joan Whitney Payson was an American heiress, businesswoman, philanthropist, patron of the arts and art collector, and a member of the prominent Whitney family...
.
Payson was a graduate of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and Harvard Law
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and became a prominent lawyer and businessman in New York City. He married Joan Whitney in 1924, and together they funded the building of Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
's library.
Charles didn't share his wife's enthusiasm for the Mets. He delegated his authority to his three daughters, with their youngest, Lorinda Payson de Roulet, becoming team president. His daughters in turn left the baseball side to board chairman M. Donald Grant
M. Donald Grant
Michael Donald Grant was the chairman and a minority owner of the New York Mets baseball club from its beginnings in 1962 to 1978.Grant was born in Montreal in 1904, the son of Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Mike Grant...
. However, when it became apparent that Grant had mismanaged the team, it was Payson himself who forced Grant out.
In 1980, he sold the franchise to Doubleday & Co..
Payson was a graduate of Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
.
In 1977, he married Virginia Kraft, a writer for Sports Illustrated. They remained married until his death.