Walter O'Malley
From BR Bullpen
Walter Francis O'Malley
- Born October 9, 1903 in New York, NY
- Died August 9, 1979 in Rochester, MN
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2008
[edit] Biographical information
"Baseball isn't a business; it's more like a disease." - Walter O'Malley
Walter O'Malley attended Culver Military Academy, the University of Pennsylvania, and went to law school at Fordham University and Columbia University. He became an attorney in 1930, taking over legal work for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943. Along with Branch Rickey and John L. Smith, he purchased 75% of the Dodgers in 1944. When Smith, a tycoon with the Pfizer company died, O'Malley took over his stock. Eventually O'Malley and Rickey parted ways, and by 1950, O'Malley had 67% of the stock in the Dodgers, and became president of the club.
In 1958, O'Malley moved the Dodgers to Los Angeles, CA where they became the Los Angeles Dodgers. Under his ownership, the team won thirteen National League pennants and four World Series titles. After his death, ownership of the club was assumed by his son Peter O'Malley.
O'Malley also had holdings in several other busineses including Long Island Railroad, Brooklyn Borough Gas Co., N. Y. Subways Advertising Co., and others.
O'Malley was voted into the Hall of Fame in December of 2007.
[edit] Further Reading
- Michael D'Antonio: Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner, Riverhead Books, New York, NY, 2009.
- Roger Kahn: "Interlude II", in The Boys of Summer, Perennial Classics, Harper and Collins Publishers, New York, NY, 2000, pp. 422-432 (originally published in 1972).
