Justus Thorner (March 2, 1848 – October 10, 1928) was a German-born American businessman, the owner of three

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

teams; the

Cincinnati Stars The Cincinnati Stars were a Major League Baseball team that played in the National League for the 1880 season and were managed by John Clapp. The club finished their only season in 8th place with a record of 21–59. Following the 1880 campai ...

in 1880, the

Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867– ...

during 1882 and 1883, and the

Cincinnati Outlaw Reds The Cincinnati Outlaw Reds of 1884, also called the Cincinnati Unions, were a member of the short-lived Union Association. One of the league's best teams, they finished third with a record of 69-36. The team was owned by former Cincinnati Stars a ...

in 1884. Thorner was a key figure in the formation of 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 ...

, which operated from 1882 to 1891. The 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings season was the initial season of the franchise now known as the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Biography

In 1880, Thorner owned the

in the

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); the team succeeded an early

franchise that operated during 1876–1879. The Stars finished in last place in their only season, then were expelled, "for failure to observe the rules, agreements and requirements of the league." While the rest of the owners in the National League wanted changes banning Sunday baseball and beer selling at ballparks, Cincinnati objected, saying too much of the club's revenue would be lost. The expulsion of the Cincinnati franchise from the National League spurred the creation of the new

(AA). Thorner took ownership of the AA's

franchise, which in 1882 won that league's first pennant. After the 1883 season, Thorner was succeeded as owner by

Aaron S. Stern According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

. Thorner then became owner of the

of the

Union Association The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season. Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some poi ...

(UA), which only operated in 1884. A son of Jacob and Rosalia (Baun) Thorner, he was born in 1848 in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, Germany, and emigrated to the United States at a young age. He managed a brewery in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, and in part got involved in baseball to help sell beer. Thorner was married; his wife, Pauline, died in March 1917. Eight months later, Thorner was in

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

. Thorner died in Cincinnati on October 10, 1928; he was survived by a son, Bennett, and a daughter, Rose. He is buried in Cincinnati's

United Jewish Cemetery United Jewish Cemetery is a Reform Jewish cemetery, located at 3400 Montgomery Road in the Evanston neighborhood, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The cemetery was opened by members of Bene Israel and B'nai Jeshurum congregations in 1862. The first burial wa ...

Notes

References

External links

Cincinnati Reds history
at MLB.com * 1848 births 1928 deaths Major League Baseball executives Cincinnati Reds owners Emigrants from the Kingdom of Hanover to the United States {{US-baseball-business-bio-stub