James Dennis Burns (July 28, 1865 – January 2, 1928) was an American businessman, hotel operator, politician, and baseball team owner. He was elected

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Wayne County, Michigan Wayne County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the United States Census placed its population at 1,793,561, making it the 19th-most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit. The coun ...

, and served a four-year term. He also served three times as a

delegate Delegate or delegates may refer to: * Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique * Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations * Delegate (United ...

from Michigan to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

, in 1908, 1912, and 1916. He was also the first owner of the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, owning the club during the inaugural 1901 season. Burns was born in 1865 at Springwells, Michigan, a district that was later incorporated into the City of Detroit. He was the sixth of eight children born to Peter and Hanorah (O'Callaghan) Burns. His father operated a

brickworks A brickworks, also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock (the most common material from which bricks are made), often with a quarry for cl ...

that supplied bricks to construct many of the important buildings in Detroit. After being educated in the public schools of Springwells and Detroit, he joined his brothers and father in the brickworks business. After his father died, he continued to operate the brickworks with his brothers. As a teenager, Burns was a boxer and wrestler and won the state amateur championship as a middleweight in both events. He did not compete professionally, but he played an influential role in the careers of Tommy Ryan (welterweight champion, 1884–98; middleweight champion, 1898–1906) and Noah Brusso (heavyweight champion, 1906–08). Brusso fought under the name "Tommy Burns" in honor of his friend and sponsor. Burns was married in 1894 to Katherine Walsh. They had two sons, James Anthony born 1899, and Francis Leo born 1905. James Anthony served in the Michigan Senate and on the Wayne County Board of Commissioners. Francis Leo became a priest and helped found Detroit Catholic Central High School. In March 1900, Burns purchased the

in conjunction with George Stallings for $12,000. He led the team to major league status in 1901 as an inaugural member of 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 ...

and served as the team's president. The team played its home games at Bennett Park except on Sundays, when Detroit's

blue law Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons ...

s forbade the team from playing there; Burns Park in Springwells served as the Tigers' Sunday home ball park. The 1901 Tigers had a 74–61 win–loss record. Burns sold his interest in the team to

Samuel F. Angus Samuel Floyd Angus (April 1855 – February 6, 1908) was an American business owner and professional sports team owner. He was the principal owner of the Detroit Tigers of the American League from November 1901 through October 1903. Angus began hi ...

in 1902 for $20,000. In April 1905, Burns was elected as the sheriff of

. He was re-elected in November 1906. He was also a member of the Democratic Party and served as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1908, 1912 and 1916. After his term as sheriff expired, Burns went into the hotel business, constructing the Burns Hotel on Cadillac Square in 1905. (The hotel was torn down in 1927.) He subsequently sold his interest in the Burns Hotel and purchased the Ste. Claire Hotel, a 140-room hotel that was the first "fireproof" hotel in downtown Detroit. He also started the "Burns and Campbell" bar on Michigan Avenue in Detroit and later owned the "Metropole Restaurant and Grill" on Griswold Street. Burns was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and Loyal Order of Moose. He died in 1928 at Grace Hospital, Detroit. Burns died in January 1928 at age 62 at Grace Hospital in Detroit.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, James D. 1865 births 1928 deaths American manufacturing businesspeople Sheriffs of Wayne County, Michigan Major League Baseball owners Detroit Tigers owners Politicians from Detroit