William Chase Temple
Encyclopedia
William Chase Temple was a coal
, citrus
, and lumber baron during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was also a part owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates
from baseball's
National League
. He also established the Temple Cup
, a trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-seven, post-season Major League Baseball
championship series that was conducted for four seasons in the National League, from 1894–1897. He became the first sole owner of a professional American football
team, in 1898.
. After moving to Delaware, he attended public school in Wilmington, and graduated from Delaware State Normal School in 1879. After graduation, he worked as an employee of Plankinton & Armour
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. In June 1880, he worked as a bank clerk for Alexander Mitchell Bank in Milwaukee. By 1883, Chase returned to Florida and became a lumber baron. Between 1885 and 1889, he was a President and General Manager of the Metropolitan Electrical Service Company in New York City
. He later became a manager of Babcock & Wilcox Steam Boiler Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
from 1890 thru 1895. While in Pittsburgh, he was on the boards of directors of more than 20 industrial, mining and financial companies.
reportedly cheated some Oriole
players out of their money, tainting the Cup and prompting Temple to sell the Pirates in disgust.
In 1898, Temple's interests expanded into football when he solely took over the team payments for the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
, a professional football team based in Pittsburgh from 1895 until 1900, becoming the first known individual football club owner. The Duquesnes had become the best professional team in Pennsylvania and, almost certainly, in the country. In 1900, A.C. Dinkey stole most of the Duquesne players, as well as Temple, for his rivial Homestead Library & Athletic Club. Over the next two seasons (1900
and 1901
), Homestead fielded the best professional football team in the country and did not lose a game.
In 1902, Temple and Pittsburgh Pirates majority owner, Barney Dreyfuss
, were suspected of being the secret owners to the Pittsburgh Stars
of the first National Football League
. Temple denied any connection to the Stars' finances, as well as being the team's owner. The team's owner on paper, David Berry
, insisted that he was the team's sole owner. However, it was impossible for him to afford the money to finance the team without the backing of Temple or Dreyfuss. The Star would go on to win the 1902 NFL championship
.
.
, and is buried in the local Palm Cemetery. Prior to his death, he served as the town's mayor.
, a city in northeastern Hillsborough County
, was named after Temple. The Temple orange was named after him as well. William Chase Temple would go on to marry Carrie Lee Wood, the daughter of major league baseball player, Jimmy Wood. The couple's daughter, Dorothy, would later marry major league pitcher, Del Mason
.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
, and lumber baron during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was also a part owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
from baseball's
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...
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...
. He also established the Temple Cup
Temple Cup
The Temple Cup was a trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-seven, post-season championship series in the National League, from 1894–1897. The 30-inch-high silver cup was donated by coal, citrus, and lumber baron William Chase Temple, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time...
, a trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-seven, post-season Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
championship series that was conducted for four seasons in the National League, from 1894–1897. He became the first sole owner of a professional American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, in 1898.
Business career
Temple was born in Starke, FloridaStarke, Florida
Starke is a city in Bradford County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,593 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 5,769 ....
. After moving to Delaware, he attended public school in Wilmington, and graduated from Delaware State Normal School in 1879. After graduation, he worked as an employee of Plankinton & Armour
Armour and Company
Armour & Company was an American slaughterhouse and meatpacking company founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1867 by the Armour brothers, led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company was Chicago's most important business and helped make the city and its Union Stock Yards the center of the...
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. In June 1880, he worked as a bank clerk for Alexander Mitchell Bank in Milwaukee. By 1883, Chase returned to Florida and became a lumber baron. Between 1885 and 1889, he was a President and General Manager of the Metropolitan Electrical Service Company in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He later became a manager of Babcock & Wilcox Steam Boiler Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
from 1890 thru 1895. While in Pittsburgh, he was on the boards of directors of more than 20 industrial, mining and financial companies.
Sports
From 1891 until 1893 Temple was the President and Owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1894, he donated a 30-inch-high silver cup, later called the Temple Cup to the National League. The first and second-place teams of the league would play in a seven game, post season, series to determine the winner. The revenue from the series was to be split 65% to 35%; however, the players of the first series in 1894 decided to evenly split the money. However, after the series the New York GiantsSan Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
reportedly cheated some Oriole
Baltimore Orioles (19th century)
The Baltimore Orioles were a 19th-century American Association and National League team from 1882 to 1899. The club, which featured numerous future Hall of Famers, finished in first place three consecutive years and won the Temple Cup championship in 1896 and 1897...
players out of their money, tainting the Cup and prompting Temple to sell the Pirates in disgust.
In 1898, Temple's interests expanded into football when he solely took over the team payments for the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1895 until 1900. The team was considered one of the best, if not the best, professional football teams in the country from 1898 until 1900...
, a professional football team based in Pittsburgh from 1895 until 1900, becoming the first known individual football club owner. The Duquesnes had become the best professional team in Pennsylvania and, almost certainly, in the country. In 1900, A.C. Dinkey stole most of the Duquesne players, as well as Temple, for his rivial Homestead Library & Athletic Club. Over the next two seasons (1900
1900 Homestead Library & Athletic Club football team
The 1900 Homestead Library & Athletic Club football team won the professional football championship of 1900. The team was affiliated with the Homestead Library & Athletic Club in Homestead, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh...
and 1901
1901 Homestead Library & Athletic Club football team
The 1901 Homestead Library & Athletic Club football team won the professional football championship of 1901. The team was affiliated with the Homestead Library & Athletic Club in Homestead, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh...
), Homestead fielded the best professional football team in the country and did not lose a game.
In 1902, Temple and Pittsburgh Pirates majority owner, Barney Dreyfuss
Barney Dreyfuss
Bernhard "Barney" Dreyfuss was an executive in Major League Baseball who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise from 1900 to 1932....
, were suspected of being the secret owners to the Pittsburgh Stars
Pittsburgh Stars
The Pittsburgh Stars were a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1902. The team was member of what was referred to as the National Football League. This league has no connection with the National Football League of today. The whole "league" was a curious mixture...
of the first National Football League
National Football League (1902)
The National Football League was the first attempt at forming a national professional football league in 1902. The league has no ties with the modern National Football League. In fact the league was only composed of teams from Pennsylvania, which was hardly "national". Two of the teams were based...
. Temple denied any connection to the Stars' finances, as well as being the team's owner. The team's owner on paper, David Berry
Dave Berry (American football)
David J. Berry was a major football manager during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the top promotor for the sport during that time period...
, insisted that he was the team's sole owner. However, it was impossible for him to afford the money to finance the team without the backing of Temple or Dreyfuss. The Star would go on to win the 1902 NFL championship
1902 Pittsburgh Stars season
The 1902 Pittsburgh Stars football season was their first and only season in existence. The team played in the first National Football League and finished with a overall record of 9-2-1, including a 2-2-1 record in league play...
.
Foundings
In 1909, Temple founded the Florida Citrus Exchange in 1909 and served as the organization's general manager from 1910 until 1913. During that time, Temple helped increased the business of the exchange from $200,000 to $5,000,000 per year. In 1915, he was named the first president of the South Florida Chamber of Commerce. He was also the first life member of the American Automobile AssociationAmerican Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
.
Death
Temple died in 1917 in Winter Park, FloridaWinter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and is buried in the local Palm Cemetery. Prior to his death, he served as the town's mayor.
Legacy
Temple TerraceTemple Terrace, Florida
Temple Terrace is an incorporated city in northeastern Hillsborough County, Florida, USA, adjacent to Tampa. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,541. It is the third and smallest incorporated municipality in Hillsborough County...
, a city in northeastern Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
, was named after Temple. The Temple orange was named after him as well. William Chase Temple would go on to marry Carrie Lee Wood, the daughter of major league baseball player, Jimmy Wood. The couple's daughter, Dorothy, would later marry major league pitcher, Del Mason
Del Mason
Adelbert William Mason was a Major League Baseball player for the Washington Senators and the Cincinnati Reds. Prior to his professional debut, Mason, a pitcher, played at the college level for Rollins College...
.
See also
- Carnegie Library of HomesteadCarnegie Library of Homestead-References:...
- Duquesne Country and Athletic ClubDuquesne Country and Athletic ClubThe Duquesne Country and Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1895 until 1900. The team was considered one of the best, if not the best, professional football teams in the country from 1898 until 1900...
- Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
- Pittsburgh StarsPittsburgh StarsThe Pittsburgh Stars were a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1902. The team was member of what was referred to as the National Football League. This league has no connection with the National Football League of today. The whole "league" was a curious mixture...
- Temple CupTemple CupThe Temple Cup was a trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-seven, post-season championship series in the National League, from 1894–1897. The 30-inch-high silver cup was donated by coal, citrus, and lumber baron William Chase Temple, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time...
- Temple Terrace, FloridaTemple Terrace, FloridaTemple Terrace is an incorporated city in northeastern Hillsborough County, Florida, USA, adjacent to Tampa. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,541. It is the third and smallest incorporated municipality in Hillsborough County...