Edmund A. Gann (October 10, 1923 – February 5, 2010) was an American businessman and Thoroughbred

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

owner.

Early life and career

Born in the fishing port of

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

, the young Gann moved with his family to California, where his father built and operated a commercial fishing

clipper A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. "C ...

. During World War II, he served with the United States Navy. Following his discharge, Edmund Gann went to work managing a grocery store his father had acquired as an investment. From there, he entered the fishing business with his brother Joseph and their company, Caribbean Marine Service Co. Inc., became a highly successful tuna- fishing fleet operator.

Tri-Union Seafoods

In 1997, Edmund Gann partnered with Tri-Marine International, Inc. of Singapore and Thai Union International of Bangkok to create Tri-Union Seafoods LLC which acquired the San Diego, California based canned tuna processing and packing company, Chicken of the Sea. In 2000, Gann sold his twenty-five percent stake in Chicken of the Sea to Thai Union International. Although the fishing industry has been where he had his principal investment, Edmund Gann also has had interests in the oil industry, banking, hardware, and real estate development.

Thoroughbred racing

:Stable Colors - Red, white and blue silks; matching cap In the mid 1960s Edmund Gann became involved in thoroughbred horse racing by accident after a friend was unable to repay a loan and offered a racing mare, named Bold Producer, instead. With little alternative, Gann took ownership of the horse, which promptly won three straight races. Enamored with racing, he began building a solid stable by buying horses in the United States as well as in Europe. In 1975, he hired future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Robert Frankel as his trainer. For twenty-one years they worked closely and met with considerable success at racetracks across the United States. However, in October 2006, the two parted company and Gann transferred the bulk of his horses to trainer John Sadler. Along with Marty Wofson in Florida,

Bill Mott William I. "Bill" Mott (born July 29, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota) is an American horse trainer, most notable for his work with Cigar. Mott earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1995 and 1996. He was inducted into the Nationa ...

also trains some of Gann's horses.Haskin, Steve (October 25, 2006).
Frankel, Gann Part Company
, ''Blood-Horse''. Edmund Gann's successful runners have won races in the United States, France and in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

where in 1988 Pay The Butler won the prestigious Japan Cup. His American-based horses include multiple Grade I winners Peace Rules,

Denon is a Japanese electronics company started in 1910 by Frederick Whitney Horn, an American entrepreneur. Denon produced the first cylinder audio media in Japan and players to play them. Decades later, Denon was involved in the early stages of de ...

, and

You In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...

, plus Travers Stakes winner

Medaglia d'Oro The Gold Medal of Military Valour ( it, Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers. The fac ...

who retired at the end of 2004 having earned more than $5.7 million. Gann is also the owner of Cristobal. A hobby sailor, Edmund Gann was a member of the San Diego Yacht Club. Mr. Gann died from cancer on February 5, 2010.

References

Tri Marine Group article on Caribbean Marine Services Co. Inc.

Edmund Gann at the NTRA

July 2004 ''San Diego Magazine'' article on Edmund Gann titled ''From Tuna to Thoroughbreds''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gann, Edmund A. 1923 births 2010 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II American chief executives of food industry companies American racehorse owners and breeders United States Navy sailors Businesspeople from California Sportspeople from Gloucester, Massachusetts People from Rancho Santa Fe, California 20th-century American businesspeople