Charles Albert Comiskey II (November 19, 1925 – August 26, 2007) was part-owner of the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
from to . A native of Chicago, Comiskey was the grandson of the team's founder,
Charles Comiskey
Charles Albert Comiskey (August 15, 1859 – October 26, 1931), nicknamed "Commy" or "The Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League, and was also ...
.
White Sox ownership
Comiskey's father, Lou, inherited the team after Charles Comiskey's death in 1931. When Lou died in 1939, ownership passed to his wife and Chuck's mother,
Grace Comiskey Grace Elizabeth Reidy Comiskey (May 15, 1893 – December 10, 1956) was an American businesswoman who was the owner of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1939 through 1956. Comiskey was the daughter-in-law of Charles Comiskey and inhe ...
. Chuck joined the family business in 1948 and was appointed vice president. During his time in the White Sox front office, Comiskey played an important role in developing the
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
system of the Go-Go Sox teams of the late 1950s, ultimately culminating with the team's winning the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
championship in .
In 1956, Comiskey became co-general manager along with his brother-in-law
Johnny Rigney
John Dungan Rigney (October 28, 1914 – October 21, 1984) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox (– and –). Listed at , , Rigney batted and threw right-handed. A native of Rive ...
, replacing
Frank Lane
Frank Charles Meyers LaneCorbett, Warren: ''Frank Lane,''
...
. His mother died later that year, and in her will control of the team was split between Comiskey and his older sister,
Dorothy
Dorothy may refer to:
*Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name.
Arts and entertainment
Characters
*Dorothy Gale, protagonist of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum
* Ace (''Doctor Who'') or Dorothy, a character playe ...
. Comiskey received a 46% stake, making him the team's second largest shareholder. However, he felt the team was his birthright, and spent the next two years trying to wrest control of the team from his sister. After a lengthy court battle, Dorothy opted to sell the team to Comiskey after the 1958 season. Believing that Dorothy wouldn't consider any offers from outside the family, Comiskey made a fairly low offer. Dorothy responded by selling her 54% stake to a group headed by
Bill Veeck
William Louis Veeck Jr. ( ; February 9, 1914 – January 2, 1986), also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was an American Major League Baseball franchise owner and promoter. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Br ...
. However, Comiskey refused to sell his interest and remained as the team's largest single shareholder. This forced Veeck to incur over a million dollars in additional taxes.
In 1961, Veeck sold his stake to
Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...
and
John Allyn
John Allyn (May 17, 1917 in Chicago, Illinois – April 29, 1979 in Winnetka, Illinois) was the co-owner of the Chicago White Sox of the American League with his brother Arthur Allyn, Jr. from through , and sole principal owner from through . In ...
. Seeing a chance to finally gain control of the team, Comiskey sold his stock to a group headed by Chicago insurance magnate
William Bartholomay
William C. Bartholomay (August 11, 1928 – March 25, 2020) was a successful Chicago business executive, who made his living in the insurance industry. In November 1962 at age 34, he was the leader of a consortium who bought the Major League Baseba ...
. Comiskey promised Bartholomay that he would be able to overwhelm the Allyns with an offer for total control, allowing him an opportunity to buy the team. However, the Allyns turned Bartholomay down. This ended the Comiskey family's 62-year involvement with the White Sox.
Later life
In the early 1970s, Comiskey owned and operated Carriage Transfer, a Hinsdale taxi and limousine company. While baseball was no longer his profession, he remained a lifelong White Sox fan and season-ticket holder. He was nonetheless disappointed when
Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park was a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois, located in the
Armour Square neighborhood on the near-southwest side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 through 1990. Buil ...
, built by his grandfather in 1910 and synonymous with South Side baseball for eight decades, gave way to a new Comiskey Park in 1991 (later renamed
U.S. Cellular Field
Guaranteed Rate Field is a baseball stadium located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It serves as the home stadium of the Chicago White Sox, one of the city's two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, and is owned by the state ...
). The name change did not diminish his enthusiasm when Chicago won the
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2005 season. The 101st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Chicago White Sox and the National ...
, the team's first championship since .
Comiskey died in Hinsdale at age 82.