Jim Dunn (baseball team owner)
Encyclopedia
James Christopher "Jim" Dunn (1865 – June 1922), aka "Sunny Jim" Dunn, was a businessman and baseball
team owner.
and became wealthy through his partnership in a railroad construction firm. In 1916 he was recruited by American League
president Ban Johnson
to head up a syndicate to buy the Cleveland Indians
baseball team from Charles Somers
for $500,000.
During his tenure the team's ballpark League Park
was renamed "Dunn Field" and in 1920 the Indians won their first World Series
. At his death in 1922 at age 57, control of the team passed to his surviving spouse, Edith Dunn, and his estate, thus making Mrs. Dunn one of the first women to own a major league baseball team. In 1927 ownership of the Indians changed hands when Dunn’s widow Edith, by then known as Mrs. George Pross, sold the franchise for $1 million to a group headed by Alva Bradley
.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team owner.
Biography
Dunn was born in Marshalltown, IowaMarshalltown, Iowa
Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,552 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 26,009 population in the 2000 census. -History:...
and became wealthy through his partnership in a railroad construction firm. In 1916 he was recruited by American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
president Ban Johnson
Ban Johnson
Byron Bancroft "Ban" Johnson , was an American executive in professional baseball who served as the founder and first president of the American League ....
to head up a syndicate to buy the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
baseball team from Charles Somers
Charles Somers
Charles Somers aka Charles W. Somers, was an American executive in Cleveland, Ohio's coal industry who also achieved prominence in Major League Baseball...
for $500,000.
During his tenure the team's ballpark League Park
League Park
League Park was a baseball park located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was situated at the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and E. 66th Street in the Hough neighborhood. It was home to the National League Cleveland Spiders, the American League Cleveland Indians, and the Cleveland...
was renamed "Dunn Field" and in 1920 the Indians won their first World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. At his death in 1922 at age 57, control of the team passed to his surviving spouse, Edith Dunn, and his estate, thus making Mrs. Dunn one of the first women to own a major league baseball team. In 1927 ownership of the Indians changed hands when Dunn’s widow Edith, by then known as Mrs. George Pross, sold the franchise for $1 million to a group headed by Alva Bradley
Alva Bradley
Alva Bradley , aka Alva Bradley II, was a businessman and baseball team executive.Bradley was born to a wealthy family in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of M.A. Bradley and grandson of his namesake, Captain Alva Bradley. He graduated Cornell in 1908...
.