Charles Shipman Payson (October 16, 1898 – May 5, 1985, aged 86) was the owner of the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

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 s ...

from through . In 1975, he inherited the club upon the death of his wife, Mets founder Joan Whitney.

Early life

Payson was born on October 16, 1898, in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. He was the son of Herbert Payson and Sally Carroll Brown, grandson of Gen. John Marshall Brown, and a descendant of Edward Payson, who settled in Massachusetts in 1635. His sister was Anne Payson Holt, who was married to Benjamin Dean Holt, son of

Benjamin Holt Benjamin Leroy Holt (January 1, 1849 – December 5, 1920) was an American businessman and inventor who patented and manufactured the first practical crawler-type tread tractor. The continuous-type track is used for heavy agricultural and engin ...

. She was murdered by burglars in her home in Maine in 1976. He was a graduate of the

Salisbury School Salisbury School is an all-boys, private college-preparatory boarding school founded in 1901 and located in Salisbury, Connecticut. Its school newspaper is ''The Cupola''. Its mascot is the Crimson Knight. The school's motto is ''Esse quam vider ...

in Connecticut,

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and

Harvard Law Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

and became a prominent lawyer and businessman in New York City.

Career

Payson inherited the Mets after the death of his first wife in 1975. He did not share his wife's enthusiasm for the Mets, preferring to tend to his other business interests. He delegated his authority to his three daughters, with the youngest,

Lorinda de Roulet Lorinda "Linda" de Roulet ('' née'' Payson; born May 8, 1930) is an American philanthropist. She is the former president of the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. She served in the role from 1975 through 1980. She succeeded her mother, Joa ...

, becoming team president. In turn, Payson's daughters left the baseball side to board chairman M. Donald Grant. But when it became apparent that Grant had mismanaged the team, Payson and his daughters forced Grant's resignation. In 1980, he sold the franchise to Doubleday & Co.

Personal life

In 1924, he married Joan Whitney (1903–1975), the daughter of

Payne Whitney William Payne Whitney (March 20, 1876 – May 25, 1927) was an American businessman and member of the influential Whitney family. He inherited a fortune and enlarged it through business dealings, then devoted much of his money and efforts to ...

and Helen Julia Hay. Her brother was

John Hay Whitney John Hay Whitney (August 17, 1904 – February 8, 1982) was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the ''New York Herald Tribune'', and president of the Museum of Modern Art. He was a member of the Whitney family. Early life Whit ...

. She inherited a trust fund from her grandfather,

William C. Whitney William Collins Whitney (July 5, 1841February 2, 1904) was an American political leader and financier and a prominent descendant of the John Whitney family. He served as Secretary of the Navy in the first administration of President Grover Clev ...

and on her father's death in 1927, she received a large part of the family fortune. The couple lived in a 1928 home designed by

William Delano William Adams Delano (January 21, 1874 – January 12, 1960), an American architect, was a partner with Chester Holmes Aldrich in the firm of Delano & Aldrich. The firm worked in the Beaux-Arts tradition for elite clients in New York City, Long ...

, on a 110 acres in Manhasset, New York, given to them by her parents as a wedding gift. Together, they had: *Daniel Carroll Payson (1925–1945), was killed during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

. *Sandra Helen Payson (1926–2004), who was married to William Meyer. They divorced and she later married Baron George Weidenfeld (1919–2016). *Payne Whitney Payson (b. 1927), who married Henry Bentivoglio Middleton, a direct descendant of

Arthur Middleton Arthur Middleton (June 26, 1742 – January 1, 1787) was a Founding Father of the United States as a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, representing South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress. Life Middleton was bo ...

, signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

. * Lorinda Payson (b. 1931), who married

Vincent de Roulet Vincent William de Roulet (1925 – August 11, 1975) was an American businessman, politician, and statesman. He served as United States Ambassador to Jamaica from 1969 through 1973. Biography De Roulet was born in Los Angeles, California. He liv ...

(1925–1975) *John Whitney Payson (b. 1940), who is married to Joanne D'Elia. In 1977, he married Virginia Kraft, a writer for ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''. She was the daughter of George John Kraft and was a graduate of

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

. They remained married until his death.

Philanthropist

With his first wife, he funded the building of

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

's library. In 1977, he donated 17 paintings by

Winslow Homer Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in ...

, worth $6.4 million, to the

Portland Museum of Art The Portland Museum of Art, or PMA, is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S. state of Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882. It is located in the downtown area known as The Arts District in Portland, Maine. Hi ...

in Portland, Maine.

External links

New York Mets owners

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Payson, Charles Shipman Major League Baseball owners New York Mets owners Harvard Law School alumni 1898 births 1985 deaths