Jacob Earl Wagner (November 6, 1861 – November 11, 1943) was a businessman from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He is primarily known as the owner of various baseball teams during the late 19th century, most notably the original Washington Senators. Along with his brother, George W. Wagner, Wagner owned the Senators from their entry into 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 ...

in until .

Early life

Wagner was born in

York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...

. His family moved to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

in 1876, and he later moved to Philadelphia with his brother George in 1893-94. Prior to their ownership of the Senators, Wagner and his brother were associates in the Armour meat-packing firm.

Athletics: 1890-91

In , he became the owner of the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

of the

Players' League The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded American professional baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Pr ...

. After the PL folded at the end of that season, Wagner joined a syndicate of PL owners, led by Al Johnson of the

Cleveland Infants The Cleveland Infants were a one-year baseball team in the Players' League, a short-lived Major League that existed only for the 1890 season. Owned by Al Johnson, the Infants finished , their lone season, with 55 wins and 75 losses. Their home g ...

, that purchased 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 ...

. However, the purchase was revoked by the National League. Instead, Wagner settled for his own Athletics being admitted to the American Association for the 1891 season.

Senators: 1892-1899

When the AA also folded after the 1891 season, the Athletics were not among the teams absorbed into the NL, which already had a team in Philadelphia. Wagner then purchased the Senators, another AA franchise which was brought into the National League. When the league contracted following the 1899 season, Wagner received $39,000 from the league for his interest in the club.''Squeeze Play: Analyzing Contraction in Professional Sports'', Villanova Sports & Entertainment Law Journal, Vol. X, Issue 1, 2003

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, J. Earl Major League Baseball owners Sportspeople from Philadelphia 1943 deaths 1861 births