James Hanson Lemon Sr. (May 14, 1903 – July 20, 1977) was an

investment banker Investment banking is an advisory-based financial service for institutional investors, corporations, governments, and similar clients. Traditionally associated with corporate finance, such a bank might assist in raising financial capital by unde ...

from

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He is best known as the co-owner of the Washington Senators 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 ...

with James Johnston from through , and the principal owner and chairman of the board in . Lemon was born in Washington in 1903. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1925. During the 1930s, Lemon was well known in the world of

contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking game, trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two Team game, competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each othe ...

, serving as president of the Washington Bridge League and, in 1939, of the

American Contract Bridge League The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is a governing body for contract bridge in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. It is the largest such organization in North America having the stated mission "to promote, grow and sustain the ...

. In 1963, Johnston and Lemon purchased the two-year-old Senators

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansi ...

franchise from their original principal owner, Elwood "Pete" Quesada. One year after Johnston's death in December 1967, Lemon sold the franchise to

Bob Short Robert Earl Short (July 20, 1917 – November 20, 1982) was an American businessman, sport teams owner, and politician. Short owned the Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association and the Washington Senato ...

. Lemon remained with the Senators as chairman of the board, retaining a minority interest in the team. Short later moved the Senators to

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...

, where they became the Texas Rangers. He was a frequent golf partner of

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

, who appointed him as a special ambassador to

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. Lemon was not related to

Jim Lemon James Robert Lemon (March 23, 1928 – May 14, 2006) was an American right and left fielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A powerful, right-handed hitting and throwing outfielder, Lemon teamed with first baseman Roy Sievers and la ...

, the former outfielder who was field manager on the Senators in 1968.''Danville Register'', Thursday, January 04, 1968, Danville, Virginia Lemon died in 1977 at Washington at 74. His wife Martha died on December 21, 1996.

Notes

References

Texas Rangers owners
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemon, James 1903 births 1977 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Ghana American contract bridge players Businesspeople from Washington, D.C. Major League Baseball owners Washington Senators (1961–1971) executives Washington Senators (1961–1971) owners