James Harold Seley
Encyclopedia
James Harold "Hal" Seley (April 19, 1906 – September 22, 1994) was an American
businessman.
In 1947, when owner Dan Reeves
relocated his National Football League
Cleveland Rams
to Los Angeles
, Seley acquired an interest in the team.
In 1957 he established Seley Ranches, a citrus
farm in Southern California's
Anza-Borrego Valley. Best known for its "Seley Reds" brand of grapefruit
, the business remains in family hands.
racehorses
. Among their successes, their colt Trackmaster won the 1955 California Derby
and the 1956 Santa Anita Maturity
. They had two horses compete in the Kentucky Derby
. Duplicator, who won the California Breeders' Champion Stakes
, finished eighth in the 1949 Derby and Trackmaster's son, Field Master, finished thirteenth in the 1967 edition.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman.
In 1947, when owner Dan Reeves
Dan Reeves (NFL owner)
Daniel "Dan" Reeves was the owner of the Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams from 1941 to his death in 1971.In addition to the controversial move of the Rams from Cleveland to Los Angeles, Reeves is remembered for being the first NFL owner to sign an African-American player in the post World War II era...
relocated his National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Cleveland Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Seley acquired an interest in the team.
In 1957 he established Seley Ranches, a citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
farm in Southern California's
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
Anza-Borrego Valley. Best known for its "Seley Reds" brand of grapefruit
Grapefruit
The grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
, the business remains in family hands.
Thoroughbred horse racing
Hal Seley and his wife owned a stable of ThoroughbredThoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorses
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. Among their successes, their colt Trackmaster won the 1955 California Derby
California Derby
The California Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held early in the year at Golden Gate Fields. An ungraded stakes, it's open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt...
and the 1956 Santa Anita Maturity
Strub Stakes
The Strub Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California each year.Currently a Grade II stakes race with a purse of $300,000, it is open to horses, age four, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the synthetic surface of Santa Anita and offers...
. They had two horses compete in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. Duplicator, who won the California Breeders' Champion Stakes
California Breeders' Champion Stakes
California Breeders' Champion Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1935 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. In 2011 it will be in its 72nd running....
, finished eighth in the 1949 Derby and Trackmaster's son, Field Master, finished thirteenth in the 1967 edition.