Andrew Freedman (September 1, 1860 – December 4, 1915) was an American businessman who is primarily remembered as the owner of the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

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. Moder ...

team of the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

from 1895 to 1902. He also briefly owned the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

in 1902; the franchise would later relocate, and became the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. Freedman was also a director of various companies, including the

Interborough Rapid Transit Company The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT ...

and the

Wright Company The Wright Company was the commercial aviation business venture of the Wright brothers, established by them on November 22, 1909, in conjunction with several prominent industrialists from New York and Detroit with the intention of capitalizing on ...

. He was born and died in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Biography

Andrew Freedman was born in

on September 1, 1860; his family were middle-class German-Jewish immigrants. He attended Grammar School No. 35, a public school in Lower Manhattan, and

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

Baseball

In 1895, Freedman became the principal owner of the

of the

(NL), purchasing a controlling interest in the club from Cornelius C. Van Cott for approximately $53,000 ($ in current dollar terms). During his ownership of the team, Freedman drew the ire of many of his players for various fines and abuses. In one incident, star pitcher Amos Rusie sat out the entire 1896 season during a feud with Freedman. NL presidential candidate

Al Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of the Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised ...

called Freedman an "impossibility in baseball", demanding that Freedman retire from the game. Freedman refused. With the financial backing of John T. Brush, principal owner of the

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

, Freedman purchased controlling interest in the

of the rival

(AL) on July 17, 1902. The Orioles were in significant debt, reportedly owing $12,000 ($ in current dollar terms). As a result, part-owner and team president John Mahon purchased shares in the team from players

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager (baseball), manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants (NL), New York Giants. He was also the ...

Joe Kelley Joseph James Kelley (December 9, 1871 – August 14, 1943) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who starred in the outfield of the Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1890s. Making up the nucleus of the Orioles along with Jo ...

, and

Wilbert Robinson Wilbert Robinson (June 29, 1864 – August 8, 1934), nicknamed "Uncle Robbie", was an American catcher, coach and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Philadelphia Athletics (American Association) ...

, becoming principal shareholder of the Orioles. Mahon, with the controlling interest in the Orioles, comprising 201 of the team's 400 total shares, sold his shares to Freedman. Upon taking control of the franchise, Freedman released the Orioles' best players from their contracts so that they could be signed by NL teams: Kelley and Cy Seymour signed with the Reds, while Joe McGinnity,

Roger Bresnahan Roger Philip Bresnahan (June 11, 1879 – December 4, 1944), nicknamed "the Duke of Tralee", was an American baseball player and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, Bresnahan competed in MLB for the Washingto ...

, Dan McGann, and Jack Cronin signed with the Giants. American League president

Ban Johnson Byron Bancroft "Ban" Johnson (January 5, 1864 – March 28, 1931) was an American executive in professional baseball who served as the founder and first president of the American League (AL). Johnson developed the AL—a descendant of th ...

, along with minority owners of the Orioles, took control of the Orioles franchise, which had to forfeit their game that day as they did not have enough players. The Orioles relocated to New York City in 1903 and were renamed the Highlanders; since 1913, the franchise has been the

. At the end of September 1902, Freedman sold the Giants to Brush.

Other interests

Freedman took over the Manhattan Athletic Club, which fell into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...

in 1893, as its receiver. He was a director of the

(IRT).THE MAYOR RETORTS – ASSAILS UNTERMYER – Hylan Calls Attorney a "Notorious Trust Organizer" and"Handy Man" of the Rich.BRAZEN, ARROGANT, HE SAYSCharges the "Traction Twins", Sa
''The New York Times'' (November 1, 1921). Retrieved on April 19, 2012. He first became involved in IRT when John B. McDonald sought to include Freedman.JUSTIFY BELMONT'S INTERBOROUGH FEE – Andrew Freedman and W.G. Oakland of 1902 Board Say It Was a Bargain for Company. – View Article – NYTimes.com
''The New York Times'' (October 3, 1913). Retrieved on April 19, 2012. Freedman reported that he invested $1.7 million ($ in current dollar terms) in the company in 1901 and 1902. He also served on the board of directors of the

, established in 1909 to market the

Wright brothers The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...

' airplanes in the United States. Freedman owned an ice yacht, named "Haze", which won a pennant race in North Shrewsbury, New Jersey.

Death and estate

Freedman died in New York City on December 4, 1915, following a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

. He was unmarried. His estate was worth over $4 million ($ in current dollar terms). Samuel Untermyer served as

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, is sometimes used. Executor of will An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker o ...

of the estate.UNTERMYER PASSES THE LIE TO HYLAN – Accuses Mayor of "More Falsehoods to the Square Inch" Than All Candidates in City's History. DEMANDS STAND ON TRANSIT Charges Hylan With Th
''The New York Times'' (November 2, 1921). Retrieved on April 19, 2012. In his will, Freedman bequeathed money to build the Andrew Freedman Home at 1125 Grand Concourse in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. The home was intended to serve as a retirement home. Plans were filed in 1922 to build the home as a four-story brick building, with the cost of construction estimated at $500,000 ($ in current dollar terms). The building cost approximately $1 million ($ in current dollar terms) and opened in 1924. The Andrew Freedman Home was named a

New York City Designated Landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and c ...

in 1992.Neighborhood Preservation Center (pdf)
(PDF) . Retrieved on April 19, 2012.

References

External links

San Francisco Giants owners
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedman, Andrew 1860 births 1915 deaths Businesspeople from New York City New York Giants (baseball) executives New York Giants (baseball) owners Baltimore Orioles (1901–02) owners 19th-century American Jews City College of New York alumni 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews Jewish American sports executives and administrators New York Yankees executives