Fred Saigh
Encyclopedia
Frederick Michael Saigh Jr. (1905 – 1999) was the part-owner, then sole owner, of the St. Louis Cardinals
of American
Major League Baseball
(MLB) from 1948 through 1953.
, and grew up in Kewanee, Illinois
. He attended Bradley University
in Peoria, Illinois
and graduated from Northwestern University
with a law degree in 1926, at age 21. and became a highly successful tax and corporate lawyer and investor in St. Louis
. In the 1940s, he owned prime office buildings in downtown St. Louis.
wanted to sell. Breadon faced two problems. He was ill with prostate cancer
, and he'd been unable to find land on which to build a planned new ballpark. The Cardinals had rented Sportsman's Park
from the city's other major league team, the American League Browns, since . Although they had long since surpassed the Browns as the city's most popular team, Breadon wanted to build a park of his own. He'd set aside $5 million to build a park, and was facing the end of a five-year deadline to build it before having to pay taxes on that money. Saigh persuaded Breadon to sell the Cardinals to him, with the assurance that he wouldn't have to pay taxes on his $5 millon fund. To further put him at ease, Saigh brought in Robert Hannegan as a minority partner. Hannegan was a prominent St. Louis businessman, former United States Postmaster General
, and confidante of President Harry Truman. The $4 million deal closed in late 1947.
Saigh inherited a team in transition. The Cardinals, though then just one year removed from their ninth National League
pennant and sixth World Series
championship since 1926, had begun to decay as an organization. Five years before, Breadon had forced out legendary general manager
Branch Rickey
, who had quickly resurfaced with the Brooklyn Dodgers
. Meanwhile, the Browns, under new owner Bill Veeck
, began a concerted effort to drive the Cardinals out of town.
In January 1949, Hannegan, suffering from poor health,, sold his share of the team to Saigh (Hannegan died in October of heart disease). As sole owner, Saigh's notable actions included leading other baseball owners to oust (by not renewing his contract) Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler
in December 1950 and proposing revenue-sharing of local television revenues.
However, the tax dodge Saigh used soon came to light, as well as other questionable practices on his part. In April 1952, Saigh was indicted on federal charges of evading $49,260 in income taxes between 1946 and 1949. In January 1953, he pleaded no contest
to two counts involving more than $19,000 in tax underpayments, and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He served five months at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana
, leaving in November 1953 when he was given parole for good behavior.
In February 1953, under pressure from Commissioner Ford Frick
, Saigh put the Cardinals up for sale. Saigh would have almost certainly been thrown out of baseball if he hadn't sold the team. For a time, no credible offers surfaced from St. Louis interests, making it seem likely that the team would be purchased by someone interested in moving them to another city. But Saigh accepted less money ($3.75 million) from Anheuser-Busch
, the St. Louis-based brewery, than from out-of-town suitors. This all but assured that the Cardinals would stay in St. Louis. Shortly afterward, the Cardinals bought Sportsman's Park from the Browns. With their remaining leverage gone, it was the Browns who left town by the end of the season, becoming the Baltimore Orioles
.
Saigh had no children. He left $70 million to charity in his will, establishing the Fred Saigh Foundation.
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
(MLB) from 1948 through 1953.
Pre-Cardinals years
Saigh, the son of Lebanese immigrants who owned a chain of grocery stores, was the oldest of five children. He was born in Springfield, IllinoisSpringfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, and grew up in Kewanee, Illinois
Kewanee, Illinois
Kewanee is a city in Henry County, Illinois, United States. "Kewanee" is the Winnebago word for prairie chicken, which lekked there. The population was 12,916 at the 2010 census, down from 12,944 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. He attended Bradley University
Bradley University
Bradley University, founded in 1897, is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois. It is a small institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students and a full-time faculty of approximately 350....
in Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
and graduated from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
with a law degree in 1926, at age 21. and became a highly successful tax and corporate lawyer and investor in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In the 1940s, he owned prime office buildings in downtown St. Louis.
St. Louis Cardinals
At the end of the 1947 baseball season, Saigh got wind that longtime Cardinals owner Sam BreadonSam Breadon
Samuel Breadon was an American executive who served as the president and majority owner of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball from 1920 through 1947...
wanted to sell. Breadon faced two problems. He was ill with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
, and he'd been unable to find land on which to build a planned new ballpark. The Cardinals had rented Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, all but one of which were located on the same piece of land, the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street on the north side of the city.- History :From...
from the city's other major league team, the American League Browns, since . Although they had long since surpassed the Browns as the city's most popular team, Breadon wanted to build a park of his own. He'd set aside $5 million to build a park, and was facing the end of a five-year deadline to build it before having to pay taxes on that money. Saigh persuaded Breadon to sell the Cardinals to him, with the assurance that he wouldn't have to pay taxes on his $5 millon fund. To further put him at ease, Saigh brought in Robert Hannegan as a minority partner. Hannegan was a prominent St. Louis businessman, former United States Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
, and confidante of President Harry Truman. The $4 million deal closed in late 1947.
Saigh inherited a team in transition. The Cardinals, though then just one year removed from their ninth National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennant and sixth World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
championship since 1926, had begun to decay as an organization. Five years before, Breadon had forced out legendary general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
, who had quickly resurfaced with 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...
. Meanwhile, the Browns, under new owner Bill Veeck
Bill Veeck
William Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...
, began a concerted effort to drive the Cardinals out of town.
In January 1949, Hannegan, suffering from poor health,, sold his share of the team to Saigh (Hannegan died in October of heart disease). As sole owner, Saigh's notable actions included leading other baseball owners to oust (by not renewing his contract) Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler
Happy Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1951 and...
in December 1950 and proposing revenue-sharing of local television revenues.
However, the tax dodge Saigh used soon came to light, as well as other questionable practices on his part. In April 1952, Saigh was indicted on federal charges of evading $49,260 in income taxes between 1946 and 1949. In January 1953, he pleaded no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
to two counts involving more than $19,000 in tax underpayments, and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He served five months at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
, leaving in November 1953 when he was given parole for good behavior.
In February 1953, under pressure from Commissioner Ford Frick
Ford Frick
Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...
, Saigh put the Cardinals up for sale. Saigh would have almost certainly been thrown out of baseball if he hadn't sold the team. For a time, no credible offers surfaced from St. Louis interests, making it seem likely that the team would be purchased by someone interested in moving them to another city. But Saigh accepted less money ($3.75 million) from Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
, the St. Louis-based brewery, than from out-of-town suitors. This all but assured that the Cardinals would stay in St. Louis. Shortly afterward, the Cardinals bought Sportsman's Park from the Browns. With their remaining leverage gone, it was the Browns who left town by the end of the season, becoming the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
.
Post-Cardinals years
After his release from prison, Saigh resumed his career in private business, amassing a large amount of stock in Anheuser-Busch – the largest shareholder outside the Busch family itself. He died in St. Louis, at the age of 94, worth approximately $500 million.Saigh had no children. He left $70 million to charity in his will, establishing the Fred Saigh Foundation.