Frederick Kimball Stearns (December 6, 1854 – June 7, 1924) was an American businessman who was the president of Frederick Stearns & Company, a pharmaceutical manufacturing business, from 1887 to 1921. He was also the organizer of the Detroit Orchestral Association, which later became the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall (Detroit, Michigan), Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown, Detroit, ...

, a trustee of the

Detroit Museum of Art The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is a museum institution located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It has list of largest art museums, one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it cove ...

, and the owner of the

Detroit Wolverines The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the ...

baseball team in 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 1885 to 1888.

Biography

Stearns was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, in 1854, the son of Frederick and Eliza (Kimball) Stearns. He moved to Detroit with his parents as a child and was educated at the Philo M. Patterson Classical School. He enrolled in the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1873 where he was the captain and second baseman for the

Michigan Wolverines baseball The Michigan Wolverines baseball team represents the University of Michigan in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Michigan athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games ...

team. He left the university as a junior to join his father's pharmaceutical manufacturing business, Frederick Stearns & Company. He became president of the company in 1887. Stearns resigned as president of the family business in 1921 to become chairman of the board. In 1885, Stearns acquired the

baseball club and became its president. During his ownership, the team acquired a number of star players, including future Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Sam Thompson and

Dan Brouthers Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers (; May 8, 1858 – August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from to , with a brief return in . Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was and weighed , w ...

. Stearns spent $25,000 (equal to $ today) between 1885 and 1887 to turn Detroit into a powerhouse team. His 1887 team won the National League pennant and went on to defeat St. Louis in the

1887 World Series The 1887 World Series was won by the Detroit Wolverines of the National League, over the St. Louis Browns of the American Association, 10 games to 5. It was played between October 10 and 26, in numerous neutral cities, as well as in Detroit an ...

. Stearns also served as a trustee of the

and was the organizer of the Detroit Orchestral Association, which later became the

. He later moved to Beverly Hills and served on the board of directors of the

Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

. Stearns was married in October 1878 to Helen E. Sweet. They had three children, Frederick Sweet Stearns, Marjorie (Stearns) Dyar, and Alan Stearns. Their Elizabethan home on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit was known as "Red Gables" and is now a registered historic site. The

Detroit Century Box The Detroit Century Box is a time capsule that was created in the U.S. city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan on December 31, 1900. Mayor William C. Maybury organized the capsule which consists of a copper box filled with photos and letters containi ...

, a

time capsule A time capsule is a historic treasure trove, cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy ...

, contains a letter written by Stearns in 1900.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, Frederick K. 1854 births 1924 deaths Major League Baseball owners Michigan Wolverines baseball players Businesspeople from Buffalo, New York

Biography

See also

References