Charles Webb Murphy (January 22, 1868 – October 16, 1931) was the owner of the Chicago Cubs of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

from through .

Overview

Originally a sportswriter for ''

The Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, al ...

'' and the ''

Cincinnati Times-Star ''The Cincinnati Times-Star'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, from 1880 to 1958. The Northern Kentucky edition was known as ''The Kentucky Times-Star'', and a Sunday edition was known as ''The Sunday Times-St ...

'', Murphy joined the New York Giants front office in 1905. After the 1905 season, Murphy purchased the Cubs from Jim Hart, in a bid financed by a loan from

Charles Phelps Taft Charles Phelps Taft (December 21, 1843 – December 31, 1929) was an American lawyer and politician who served as editor of the ''Cincinnati Times-Star'' and owned both the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs baseball teams. From 1895 to 1897 ...

, owner of the '' Enquirer''. Murphy repaid the loan in full with the profits from the 1906 season. It was under Murphy's ownership that the Cubs won the franchise's only two

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

titles before

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, in

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco ...

and

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...

. After several years as Cubs owner, Murphy became a disliked figure amongst other owners in the National League, the press, and his players. He sold the Cubs to

after the 1913 season. Murphy also held a 50 percent stake in the Baker Bowl, the former home field of the Philadelphia Phillies, which was sold to him by former Phillies owner Horace Fogel in 1912. After leaving baseball, Murphy returned to

Wilmington, Ohio Wilmington is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,660 at the 2020 census. At city entrances from state routes, county roads, and U.S. highways, the city slogan of "We Honor Our Champions" is ...

and financed the construction of the

Murphy Theatre The Murphy Theatre is a historic theatre located at 50 West Main Street in Wilmington, Ohio. History Construction Chicago Cubs owner and Wilmington native Charles Murphy financed the construction of the Murphy Theatre. Charles Murphy hired Ev ...

. Murphy died in Chicago, Illinois, at age 63.

References

External links

Chicago Cubs owners

Murphy's SABR Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Charles 1868 births 1931 deaths Major League Baseball owners Chicago Cubs owners Sportswriters from Ohio Sportspeople from Cincinnati Sportspeople from Chicago People from Wilmington, Ohio The Cincinnati Enquirer people Journalists from Ohio Sportswriters from Illinois