Charlie Byrne (baseball)

Charles H. Byrne (born September 1843 in New York, New York, died January 4, 1898) was a New York realtor who was one of the original founders of the team that became the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Byrne was a graduate of St. Francis Xavier College,^[1] and after graduation he worked as a writer for a newspaper^[1].

Byrne along with New York Herald editor George J. Taylor, Joseph Doyle (Byrne's brother-in-law) and Rhode Island casino owner Ferdinand Abell were the group that originally raised the money to found the ball club, known at first simply as the "Brooklyns." They leased land on fifth avenue to build Washington Park, the team's original home. It cost them the then-considerable sum of $30,000 to build the ballpark. The first year the team played in the minor Inter-State Association of Professional Baseball Clubs but the team was able to attract a following and won the league championship.

In 1884, the owners were able to bring the franchise into the American Association, a competitor to the more established National League, that catered to a more working-class crowd. [1]

Byrne remained in the ownership group until his death in 1898, seeing the franchise eventually join the National League in 1890. Under his ownership, the Grays/Grooms/Bridegrooms/Dodgers (as they were alternately known during this period) went 567-506 and won two championships (the AA championship in 1889 and the NL championship in 1890. [2]) He was also the team's Manager from 1885-1887. [3]

Byrne was in ill health when the National League meeting was set to take place in November of 1897,^[1] but he insisted on making the journey from Virginia, where he had been recovering, to Philadelphia, the site of the meeting.^[1] After the meeting concluded, his health took a turn for the worse, from which he never recovered.^[1]

External links

• Brooklyn history book excerpt
• Dodgers ownership history
• 120 Years of Dodgers history
• Baseball reference managerial record

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Charles H. Byrne Dead - President of the Brooklyn Baseball Club Passes Away After a Long Illness", The New York Times, January 5, 1898.

Preceded by (none)	President of the Brooklyn Dodgers 1883-1898	Succeeded by Charles Ebbets
Preceded by Charlie Hackett	Brooklyn Grays Manager 1885-1887	Succeeded by Bill McGunnigle

Persondata
Name	Byrne, Charlie
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Short description
Date of birth	1843
Place of birth
Date of death	January 4, 1898
Place of death