Charles Hercules Ebbets, Sr. (October 29, 1859–April 18, 1925) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 sports executive who owned the Brooklyn Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

 from 1902 to 1925.

Biography

Ebbets was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and was a draftsman and architect

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

 who designed numerous New York City buildings. He served on the Brooklyn City Council for four years and in the New York State Assembly

New York State Assembly

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...

 for one.

Ebbets started with the Dodgers as a bookkeeper in 1883 and became a shareholder in 1890. He took an active role in marketing the sport to families and took over team operations in 1898. He also managed the Dodgers that year and the team finished tenth.

Ned Hanlon, the owner and manager of the Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles (19th century)

The Baltimore Orioles were a 19th-century American Association and National League team from 1882 to 1899. The club, which featured numerous future Hall of Famers, finished in first place three consecutive years and won the Temple Cup championship in 1896 and 1897...

, bought some of the remaining stock in the Dodgers after the 1898 season and took the best Baltimore players to the Brooklyn team. The Dodgers won pennants in both 1899 and 1900. In 1905, Hanlon wanted to move the team to Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

, but Ebbets bought out his shares.

Ebbets is credited with inventing the concept of the rain check and of proposing a player draft favoring teams which finished low in the standings.

He financed the building of Ebbets Field

Ebbets Field

Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...

 in 1912 by selling half his shares in the team to the McKeever Brothers.

Ebbets died of heart failure at age 65 in New York City and is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery

Green-Wood Cemetery

Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...

in Brooklyn.

Timeline

• 1883 Bookkeeper
• 1898 President and manager
• 1899 Won pennant
• 1900 Won pennant
• 1912 Ebbets Field built
• 1916 Won pennant
• 1920 Won pennant