Peter Charles Bernard Bynoe (born March 20, 1951) is a Chicago
attorney
Attorney may refer to:
* Lawyer
** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions
* Attorney, one who has power of attorney
* ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film
See also
* Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...
and businessman, formerly the only African-American equity partner in the Chicago office of
DLA Piper
DLA Piper is a multinational law firm with offices in over 40 countries throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In 2021, it had a total revenue of US$3.47 billion, an average profit per equity partner of ...
. In 1989, he and his business partner Bertram Lee were the first African-Americans to buy a controlling interest in a
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA) team, when they purchased a 37.5% share of the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team,
and he is among the most influential minority figures in sports law and management.
Bynoe kept the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
from leaving Chicago by developing a
New Comiskey Park
Guaranteed Rate Field is a baseball stadium located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It serves as the home stadium of the Chicago White Sox, one of the city's two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, and is owned by the stat ...
(now known as
U.S. Cellular Field
Guaranteed Rate Field is a baseball stadium located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It serves as the home stadium of the Chicago White Sox, one of the city's two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, and is owned by the state ...
). He has become a negotiator for professional sports teams' venues. In addition, he was involved in the development of the
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
and
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. Bynoe serves on several boards of directors.
Personal background
Born in
Boston, Massachusetts,
Bynoe came from a well-respected family. His father Victor C. Bynoe, had emigrated from his native
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
at age 13, and after graduating from
Northeastern University
Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...
with degrees in
Civil Engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...
and
Law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
, became a successful
attorney
Attorney may refer to:
* Lawyer
** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions
* Attorney, one who has power of attorney
* ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film
See also
* Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...
. (At one point, he represented
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
star
Bill Russell
William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most V ...
.)
[ At a time when few blacks were being promoted to important positions in government, Victor Bynoe was named to ]Boston Mayor
The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four-y ...
John B. Hynes
John Bernard Hynes (September 22, 1897 – January 6, 1970), was an American politician serving as the Mayor of Boston from 1950 to 1960.
Career
Hynes began his career at city hall in 1920 as a clerk in the health department. He later transferre ...
' cabinet in 1950, serving on the Street Commission. He later became commissioner of Veterans' Services in Boston, and served on the board of the Boston Housing Authority. Peter's mother Ethel was American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
;[ she was praised by the black newspapers for her community involvement and volunteerism. Peter also had an uncle John Bynoe, who was active in the fight for ]civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
, serving as the regional civil rights director for the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...
.
Bynoe attended William Lloyd Garrison Elementary School, and graduated from Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...
in 1968. He credited his parents with instilling high standards and expecting him to achieve in school.[ He also had a love of sports, growing up as a regular ]Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
and Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
fan; but although both teams had black players, racial relations in Boston at that time were still tense, and black fans like Bynoe were hesitant to attend the games.
Bynoe's entire post-secondary education was at Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
. He obtained his bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
''cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
'' at Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
in 1972. He then received his master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. , an M.B.A.
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
in 1976, with an emphasis on finance
Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...
and marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
, from Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
. His Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
had a focus on corporate planning and regulation. In addition to being admitted to the practice of law before the Illinois State Bar, Bynoe is a licensed real estate broker
A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...
in Illinois.[
In late November 1987, he married Linda Jean Walker, who was then vice-president of the ]fixed-income
Fixed income refers to any type of investment under which the borrower or issuer is obliged to make payments of a fixed amount on a fixed schedule. For example, the borrower may have to pay interest at a fixed rate once a year and repay the pri ...
division of Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...
in New York.
Business career
Bynoe began his professional career in 1976 at Citibank
Citibank, N. A. (N. A. stands for " National Association") is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City ...
.[ After deciding he didn't like working for a large corporation, he left New York and moved to Chicago in 1977. He was hired by James Lowry, a management consultant whom he had met at Harvard. While with Lowry's firm, Bynoe made a name for himself as someone who could break down racial barriers and get diverse groups to work together. He also became known for his work in minority business development.] By 1982, Bynoe passed the Illinois bar examination
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
Australia
Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...
. He left Lowry and Associates in 1982, at which time he founded and managed Telemat Ltd., a business consulting firm.
His career path changed in 1987 when Harold Washington
Harold Lee Washington (April 15, 1922 – November 25, 1987) was an American lawyer and politician who was the 51st Mayor of Chicago. Washington became the first African American to be elected as the city's mayor in April 1983. He served as ma ...
, whose election campaign he had worked for and contributed to, called Bynoe to inform him that the Chicago White Sox were threatening to leave Chicago.[Picher, Keith, ''Leading Lawyers Network'', "Peter Bynoe: When It Comes to Sports Stadiums, He Takes The Ball And Runs With It," September 2007] From January 1988 to June 1992, Bynoe served as the executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, a joint venture of the City of Chicago and State of Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, which gave him complete supervisory, planning and executing responsibility for the $250 million construction of New Comiskey Park
Guaranteed Rate Field is a baseball stadium located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It serves as the home stadium of the Chicago White Sox, one of the city's two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, and is owned by the stat ...
for the Chicago White Sox, which was completed as scheduled and well within its budget.[ He also became known in Chicago for his business relationships with such influential sports stars as ]Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...
, a former client with whom he remained friends.
In November 1989, Bynoe and Bertram Lee purchased the Denver Nuggets. Lee and Bynoe had worked together in Boston years earlier, and Bynoe thought of Lee as a mentor. They had kept in touch, and were involved in several real estate dealings together.[ But the Nuggets deal was problematic from the start. In fact, it almost fell through because Lee did not have the resources everyone, Bynoe among them, thought he had. Media reports depicted Lee as a wealthy and successful businessman who was a financier with offices in two cities, and formerly part owner of Boston's ]WNEV-TV
WHDH (channel 7) is an independent television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by Sunbeam Television alongside Cambridge-licensed CW affiliate WLVI (channel 56). WHDH and WLVI share studios at Bulfinch Place (ne ...
. But Lee and Bynoe were unable to meet the deadline to purchase the team from then-owner Sidney Shlenker
Sidney L. Shlenker (August 14, 1936 – April 23, 2003) was an American businessman. His management/ownership of a series of professional sports teams was marked by both success and controversy.
Early life
Shlenker was born in Monroe, Louisiana. ...
. It would later be revealed that Lee had problems raising the needed capital. It was Bynoe, with the assistance of David Stern
David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of ...
, Jay Pritzker
Jay Arthur Pritzker (August 26, 1922 – January 23, 1999) was an American entrepreneur, conglomerate organizer, and member of the Pritzker family.
Early life and education
Pritzker was born in Chicago, Illinois to Jewish parents who emi ...
, and Jerrold Wexler
Jerrold Wexler (June 27, 1924 – November 10, 1992) was a noted American businessman and film producer. He was the brother of cinematographer Haskell Wexler and the stepfather of actress Daryl Hannah.
Early life and education
Wexler was born ...
, who salvaged the transaction over the course of six months.[ The mainstream media reported that Lee and Bynoe were now the first two blacks to own a major sports team, but several of the black newspapers pointed out that the two men were actually managing general partners rather than owners, because the revised agreement to purchase the team meant they owned only a 37.5% stake in the team. Bynoe sold his interest in the franchise in August 1992.][ ]Communications Satellite Corporation
COMSAT (Communications Satellite Corporation) is a global telecommunications company based in the United States.
By 2007, it had branches in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and several other countries in the Americas. A ...
's (COMSAT) Video Enterprises subsidiary put up 62.5% of the $65 million needed to purchase the Nuggets.
Bynoe was hired in 2008 by Chicago-based Loop Capital Markets LLC. Bynoe serves as managing director of Corporate Finance.
In August 2013, Bynoe left his executive role at Loop Capital Markets LLC to become CEO of Rewards Network, a company controlled by investor Sam Zell
Samuel Zell (born Shmuel Zielonka, September 28, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. A former lawyer, Zell is the founder and chairman of Equity Group Investments, a private investment firm, founded in 1968. He has ...
that offers loyalty programs for restaurants.
Other achievements
Bynoe served as a consultant to the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority and the Atlanta Committee to Organize the Olympic Games to plan the 85,000 seat Centennial Olympic Stadium
Centennial Olympic Stadium was the 85,000-seat main stadium of the 1996 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Construction of the stadium began in 1993, and it was complete and ready for the opening ceremony in Ju ...
within a $210 million construction budget. The stadium has been converted to the 45,000 seat Turner Field
Turner Field was a baseball stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 to 2016, it served as the home ballpark to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the c ...
baseball stadium for the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
who use it under a lease agreement Bynoe negotiated.[ Bynoe became a partner at DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary LLP (US) in 1995 when he joined the firm and remains a member of the firm's executive committee.][ Bynoe as head of DLA Piper's Sports Facilities Practice Group negotiated new facilities for 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 ...
and Bengals, Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...
, Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
, and Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
.[ He specialized in ]infrastructure
Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...
projects and represented institutional clients such as: The Boeing Company
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
, Sara Lee Corporation
The Sara Lee Corporation was an American consumer-goods company based in Downers Grove, Illinois. It had operations in more than 40 countries and sold its products in over 180 countries. Its international operations were headquartered in Utrecht ...
, Essence Communications, and CNA Insurance.[ Bynoe also was involved in the ]2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, and was a backer of Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
.[
In addition, Bynoe is a Director of Frontier Communications Corporation, Covanta, and Signature Group Holdings, Inc. He is a Trustee of the ]Goodman Theatre
Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the lan ...
, the Rush University Medical Center
Rush University Medical Center (Rush) is an academic medical center in the Illinois Medical District neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship hospital for the Rush University System for Health, which includes Rush Oak Park Hospital an ...
and The CORE Center for the Research and Cure of Infectious Diseases. He formerly served as Chairman of the Chicago Plan Commission Chicago Plan Commission
The Chicago Plan Commission is a commission implemented to promote the ''Plan of Chicago,'' often called the Burnham Plan. After official presentation of the Plan to the city on July 6, 1909, the City Council of Chicago authorized Mayor Fred A. Bu ...
, the Chicago Landmarks Commission Chicago Commission Landmarks, and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, and was a director of Jacor Communications and Blue Chip Broadcasting. Bynoe has been a director of Covanta since 2004. In 2007, Bynoe was announced as a director [ for Citizens Communications (which later changed its name to ]Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. (known as Citizens Utilities Company until May 2000 and Citizens Communications Company until July 31, 2008) is an American telecommunications company. The company previously served primarily rural areas and s ...
). In the past, Bynoe has been a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers) is one of Harvard University's two governing boards. Although its function is more consultative and less hands-on than the President and Fellows of Harv ...
. He has also served as a director for Uniroyal Technology Corporation, Jacor Communications
Jacor Communications was a media corporation, existing between 1987 and 1999, which owned many radio stations in the United States. In 1998, Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, now iHeartMedia, for $2.8 billion.
Jacor Communicat ...
(acquired by Clear Channel Communications), J&G Industries, Huffman-Koos, Inc., the River Valley Savings Bank, and Blue Chip Broadcasting (acquired by Radio One, Inc).[
]
Honors
Bynoe has been designated an Illinois "Super Lawyer" for 2005 and 2006 based on research jointly conducted by ''Law & Politics'' and ''Chicago magazine
''Chicago'' is a monthly magazine published by Tribune Publishing. It concentrates on lifestyle and human interest stories, and on reviewing restaurants, travel, fashion, and theatre from or nearby Chicago. Its circulation in 2004 was 165,000, ...
''s.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bynoe, Peter
1951 births
Living people
African-American sports executives and administrators
Denver Nuggets owners
Harvard Business School alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
Harvard College alumni
National Basketball Association executives
National Basketball Association owners
Lawyers from Boston
Lawyers from Chicago
Boston Latin School alumni
21st-century African-American lawyers
20th-century African-American sportspeople