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Edward Bennett Williams

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Edward Bennett Williams
Williams in 1970
Born(1920-05-31)May 31, 1920
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedAugust 13, 1988(1988-08-13) (aged 68)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education
Occupations
EmployerHogan & Hartson (1945–1949)
Organizations
Title
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseAgnes Neill Williams
Children7
Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee
In office
October 18, 1974 – January 21, 1977
Preceded byCharles Peter McColough
Succeeded byJoel McCleary

Edward Bennett Williams (May 31, 1920 – August 13, 1988) was an American lawyer, businessman, and sports team owner. He received his undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross before studying law at Georgetown University. He worked for Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C., beginning in the 1940s and later co-founded the law firm of Williams & Connolly in 1967. Williams worked as the treasurer of the Democratic National Committee in the mid-1970s.

Williams also worked in professional sports, serving as the controlling owner of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1979 and as its president from 1966 to 1984. He later owned the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1979 until his death in 1988.

Career

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Air Force

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Williams received a degree from the College of the Holy Cross in 1941 before serving in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II.[1]

Law and politics

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Williams represented many high-profile clients, including Sam Giancana, John Hinckley Jr., Frank Sinatra, former Governor of Texas and Secretary of the Treasury John B. Connally Jr., financier Robert Vesco, Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner, Jimmy Hoffa, organized crime figure Frank Costello, oil commodity trader Marc Rich, U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, corporate raider Victor Posner, Michael Milken, The Washington Post newspaper, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, former CIA director Richard Helms, Bobby Baker, The Washington Post, various FBI agents accused of bag jobs[clarification needed] in New York, and Aldo Icardi, an OSS agent accused of killing his commander. He also defended Jack Ruby, the assassin of Lee Harvey Oswald.

Williams was a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and Georgetown University Law Center. Before establishing Williams & Connolly in 1967 with Paul Connolly, he worked at the prominent D.C.-based law firm of Hogan & Hartson from 1945 to 1949. Williams also served as treasurer of the Democratic National Committee from October 18, 1974, to January 21, 1977.[2][3]

Professional sports

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Washington Redskins

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Williams and NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle meeting with members of U.S. Congress and president Lyndon B. Johnson, 1967

Williams acquired a five percent share in the Washington Redskins in 1962. In 1965, he was appointed by team owner George Preston Marshall to run daily operations and was named team president the following year.[1] Williams acquired Marshall's shares in the franchise following his death in 1969.[4] As owner, Williams spent heavily on appointing high-profile coaches and general managers, beginning with Otto Graham in 1966 and continuing with Vince Lombardi in 1969, George Allen in 1971, and Bobby Beathard in 1978. In 1974, Williams sold majority interest in the team to Redskins minority partner Jack Kent Cooke.[4] Due to NFL rules at the time disallowing controlling ownership in other leagues, Cooke allowed Williams to continue operating the team until selling his other properties, the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, to Jerry Buss in May 1979.[4] Williams remained with the Redskins as its president until selling his remaining shares to Cooke in 1985.[4]

Baltimore Orioles

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Williams with MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn and President Ronald Reagan, 1984

Williams purchased controlling interest in the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB) from Jerold Hoffberger for $12 million on August 2, 1979,[5] with the transaction being approved unanimously by American League team owners 11+1⁄2 weeks later on October 22.[6] His interest in purchasing the franchise began when he represented in negotiations William E. Simon, who had attempted to do the same thing earlier that year until he withdrew his offer on February 5.[7][8] As part of the deal, Williams bought a block of publicly traded shares that had been issued in 1936 when the team was still the St. Louis Browns, making the Orioles privately held once again.

Many feared Williams would move the team to Washington. Baltimore had previously lost the Baltimore Bullets to Washington. The fear of Williams's moving the team increased with the 1984 departure of the Baltimore Colts. However, Williams never moved the team. More importantly, Williams signed a new, long-term lease with Baltimore that would pay for a new stadium, which would become Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He would not live to see the new ballpark (it opened in 1992, four years after his death). The Orioles were sold by Williams's wife Agnes to Eli Jacobs, Larry Lucchino and Sargent and Bobby Shriver for $70 million on December 5, 1988.[9]

Real estate investments

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Among Williams's many real estate holdings was The Jefferson, a 98-room luxury hotel located near the White House and favored by many sport and political figures in the 1980 and 90s. In April 1989, Paine Webber Realty (a subsidiary of the Paine Webber stock brokerage firm) purchased the hotel from Agnes Williams for $28 million ($68.8 million in 2023 dollars).

Death

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Williams died at Georgetown University Hospital on August 13, 1988, after a 12-year battle with colon cancer.[10] He was buried in St. Gabriel Cemetery in Potomac, Maryland. His funeral was attended by most of Washington's power elite, including then U.S. vice president George H. W. Bush, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Eunice Kennedy and Sargent Shriver, and Michael Milken (of the famous 1980s junk-bond scandal).[11] The Edward Bennett Williams Law Library at Georgetown University Law Center is named in his honor. The senior apartments residence hall at the College of the Holy Cross is also named in his honor.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Redskins 1980 Media Guide" (PDF). Internet Archive. Washington Redskins. 1980. p. 8. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Curtis new chairman of Democratic party". Stevens Point Daily Journal. Vol. 82. Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Associated Press. January 21, 1977. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Democrats seek smooth convention". St. Petersburg Times. Vol. 91, no. 87. October 19, 1974. p. 4-A – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d Guerrieri, Vince. "Edward Bennett Williams". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Redskin Owner Buys Orioles," The New York Times, Friday, August 3, 1979. Retrieved August 25, 2018
  6. ^ "Sale of Orioles to Williams Approved by Club Owners," The New York Times, Tuesday, October 23, 1979. Retrieved December 12, 2020
  7. ^ Scannell, Nancy. "Hoffberger Sells Orioles To Williams," The Washington Post, Friday, August 3, 1979. Retrieved December 12, 2020
  8. ^ Scannell, Nancy. "Simon Withdraws Offer for Orioles," The Washington Post, Tuesday, February 6, 1979. Retrieved December 12, 2020
  9. ^ Justice, Richard. "Seed That Began Orioles' Sale Planted at Ethel Kennedy's Home," The Washington Post, Sunday, December 11, 1988. Retrieved August 25, 2018
  10. ^ Edward Bennett Williams (obituary), United Press International, Saturday, August 13, 1988. Retrieved August 19, 2018
  11. ^ Thomas, Evan (1991). The Man To See. Simon & Schuster. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-4391-2796-4.
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