Charles H. Byrne (September 1843–January 4, 1898) was a New York realtor who was one of the original founders of the team that became the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Califor ...

(now the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookl ...

). Byrne was a graduate of St. Francis Xavier College, and after graduation he worked as a writer for a newspaper.Charles H. Byrne Dead - President of the Brooklyn Baseball Club Passes Away After a Long Illness
, The New York Times, January 5, 1898. Byrne, his brother-in-law Joseph Doyle, New York Herald editor George J. Taylor, and Rhode Island casino owner

Ferdinand Abell Ferdinand Augustus "Gus" Abell (July 8, 1833 – November 8, 1913) was an American businessman and one of the original founders of the team that became the Brooklyn Dodgers. A Rhode Island casino owner, he put up most of the money to form the tea ...

formed a group that raised the money to found the Brooklyn ball club in 1883, known originally as simply the "Brooklyns". They leased land on Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn to build Washington Park, the team's original home, which cost $30,000. In its first year, the team played in the minor-league

Inter-State Association of Professional Baseball Clubs The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

, winning the league championship. Having attracted a following, the owners moved the franchise in 1884 to the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

(AA), a competitor to the more established

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 ...

(NL), that catered to a more working-class crowd. After managing the team from 1885 to 1887, Byrne saw the franchise join the National League in 1890, and remained in the ownership group until his death in 1898. Under his tenure, the team, known variously as the Brooklyns, Bridegrooms and Grooms, posted a record of 567-506 and won two league championships (the AA in 1889 and the NL in 1890). Byrne was in ill health at the time of the National League meeting in November 1897, but he insisted on making the journey from Virginia, where he had been recovering, to the event in Philadelphia. After the meeting concluded, his health took a turn for the worse, from which he never recovered. Byrne was buried at Calvary Cemetery in

Woodside, Queens Woodside is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the western portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside, and on the east by Elmhurst, ...

, New York.

References

External links

120 Years of Dodgers history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Charlie 1843 births 1898 deaths Brooklyn Bridegrooms managers Brooklyn Dodgers executives Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens)