Bill De Witt
William Orville DeWitt Sr. (August 3, 1902 — March 4, 1982) was a longtime executive in Major League Baseball whose career spanned more than 50 years in the game. His son William DeWitt, Jr. is currently the principal owner and managing partner of the St. Louis Cardinals, while grandson William O. DeWitt III is the president of the Cardinals.
The senior DeWitt began his baseball career with the Cardinals as a protégé of Branch Rickey, legendary business manager (later general manager) of the Redbirds from 1916–1942. DeWitt's first job, in 1916, was selling soda pop at the Cardinals' park; as a young man, he received a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis and became treasurer of the Redbirds. But DeWitt ultimately took a front-office job with the city’s underdog American League team, the St. Louis Browns, where he rose to general manager, minority owner (initially in partnership with Donald Lee Barnes) and, finally, majority owner.
Read more about Bill De Witt: Pennant-winning GM, Later Owner of The St. Louis Browns, Making An Impact in Detroit, Another Pennant, Then Ownership of The Reds
Famous quotes containing the word bill:
“I am succeeding very well so far with my legging, but it is a very mean business for a man that has been well brought up to engage in. It is the only way to get a bill from Cincinnati through, so it must be done.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)