Henry Berry

Henry Berry was the owner of the Los Angeles Angels in the Pacific Coast League from 1906 to 1914 and the San Francisco Seals from 1915 to 1918.

He had grown up in Selma, CA, where his family owned a fruit orchard, although not a particularly successful one. He and his two older brothers, William and Clarence were also good semi-pro baseball players. His brother Clarence dreamed of striking it rich, however, and set out as a prospector in the Yukon, when he heard about the first gold strike in the Klondike in 1897. He quickly staked a number of claims and persuaded Henry to come over to help him out. The two became very rich as a result, and Clarence increased his fortune by making successful investments in the nascent oil industry in California. They used their money to invest in baseball as well, but Henry was the most active of the two in actually running the teams, as Clarence was busy with his other business dealings.

Henry died in a car accident while working for his brother on an oil site in 1929. The steering wheel of his car broke and the call fell into a canyon, killing him instantly. Clarence died only a year later, of appendicitis.

Related Sites

• Baseball History Daily story on Henry Berry