Charles Shipman Payson
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Charles Shipman Payson | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 16, 1898 |
| Died | May 5, 1985 (aged 86) |
| Education | Salisbury School Yale University Harvard Law |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5, including Lorinda de Roulet |
Charles Shipman Payson (October 16, 1898 – May 5, 1985) was the owner of the New York Mets of the National League from 1975 through 1980. In 1975, he inherited the club upon the death of his wife, Mets founder Joan Whitney.
Payson was born on October 16, 1898, in Maine. He was the son of Herbert Payson and Sally Carroll Brown, grandson of Gen. John Marshall Brown, and a descendant of Edward Payson, who settled in Massachusetts in 1635.[1] His sister was Anne Payson Holt, who was married to Benjamin Dean Holt, son of Benjamin Holt. She was murdered by burglars in her home in Maine in 1976.[2]
He was a graduate of the Salisbury School in Connecticut, Yale University and Harvard Law and became a prominent lawyer and businessman in New York City.
Career
Payson inherited the Mets after the death of his first wife in 1975. He did not share his wife's enthusiasm for the Mets, preferring to tend to his other business interests.[3] He delegated his authority to his three daughters, with the youngest, Lorinda de Roulet, becoming team president.
In turn, Payson's daughters left the baseball side to board chairman M. Donald Grant. But when it became apparent that Grant had mismanaged the team, Payson and his daughters forced Grant's resignation.[3]
In 1980, he sold the franchise to Doubleday & Co.[4]
