James Hanson Lemon Sr. (May 14, 1903 – July 20, 1977) was an investment banker from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He is best known as the co-owner of the Washington Senators 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 ...

with James Johnston from through , and the principal owner and chairman of the board in . Lemon was born in Washington in 1903. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1925. During the 1930s, Lemon was well known in the world of

contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions o ...

, serving as president of the Washington Bridge League and, in 1939, of the

American Contract Bridge League The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is a governing body for contract bridge in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. It is the largest such organization in North America having the stated mission ''"to promote, grow and sustain th ...

. In 1963, Johnston and Lemon purchased the two-year-old Senators

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...

franchise from their original principal owner, Elwood "Pete" Quesada. One year after Johnston's death in December 1967, Lemon sold the franchise to Bob Short. Lemon remained with the Senators as chairman of the board, retaining a minority interest in the team. Short later moved the Senators to

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...

, where they became the Texas Rangers. He was a frequent golf partner of

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, who appointed him as a special ambassador to

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. Lemon was not related to

Jim Lemon James Robert Lemon (March 23, 1928 – May 14, 2006) was an American right and left fielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A powerful, right-handed hitting and throwing outfielder, Lemon teamed with first baseman Roy Sievers and la ...

, the former outfielder who was field manager on the Senators in 1968.''Danville Register'', Thursday, January 04, 1968, Danville, Virginia Lemon died in 1977 at Washington at 74. His wife Martha died on December 21, 1996.

Notes

References

Texas Rangers owners
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemon, James 1903 births 1977 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Ghana American contract bridge players Businesspeople from Washington, D.C. Major League Baseball owners Washington Senators (1961–1971) executives Washington Senators (1961–1971) owners