James Potter (baseball)

{{short description|American baseball executive (1864–1934)}} '''James Potter''' (April 7, 1864 – April 15, 1934) was an American businessman who served as president of the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] from 1903 to 1904.

==Early life== Potter was born in [[Savannah, Georgia]] on April 7, 1864, to John Hamilton and Alice Beirne (Steimbergen) Potter. His father was a [[United States Civil War]] veteran who served with the [[Confederate States Army]]. Potter was educated in [[Baltimore]] and at [[St. Paul's School (New Hampshire)|St. Paul's School]] in [[Concord, New Hampshire]]. He attended [[Princeton University]], but left after his junior year. On June 4, 1885, he married Elizabeth Perkins Sturgis. They had three children; Elizabeth Sturgis, John Hamilton, and Robert Sturgis Porter.<ref name="Universities">{{cite book |editor1-last=Chamberlain |editor1-first=Joshua L. |title=Universities and Their Sons |date=1900 |publisher=R. Herndon Company |location=Boston |page=144 |edition=IV |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SGFDAQAAMAAJ |access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref> On January 27, 1908, Elizabeth Sturgis Porter married [[Frank Polk]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Miss Potter Weds F. L. Polk |work=The New York Times |date=January 28, 1908}}</ref>

==Business career== From 1888 to 1899, Potter worked for the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]], where he rose to the position of Division Passenger Agent. He then entered the newspaper business as general manager of the ''[[Philadelphia Evening Telegraph]]''.<ref name="Universities" /> He then managed the [[Philadelphia]] branch of Marshall, Spader, & Co., a stock brokerage firm. In 1908, Marshall, Spader, & Co. closed their Philadelphia office and Potter took over management of the ''[[Public Ledger (Philadelphia)|Public Ledger]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Branch Office Discontinued |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=August 1, 1908}}</ref> From 1913 until his death in 1934 he was a general agent for the [[Cunard Line]].<ref name="Obituary">{{cite news |title=James Potter, 70, Cunard Agent, Dies |work=The New York Times |date=April 16, 1934}}</ref>

==Sports== Potter won championships in both racquets and court tennis. He helped organize the [[Racquet Club of Philadelphia]] and was the club's president for its first 17 years of existence.<ref name="Obituary" />

In 1903, Potter led a syndicate that purchased the Philadelphia Phillies from [[Al Reach]] & [[John Rogers (baseball)|John Rogers]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Society in Baseball |work=The New York Times |date=March 1, 1903}}</ref> On March 3, 1903, Potter was elected president of the club.<ref>{{cite news |title=Philadelphia Baseball Club Officers |work=The New York Times |date=March 4, 1903}}</ref> On November 30, 1904, he was succeeded as president by [[Bill Shettsline]].<ref>{{cite news |title=New Baseball Company in Philadelphia |work=The New York Times |date=December 1, 1904}}</ref> On February 23, 1909, Potter sold his shares to [[Israel Wilson Durham]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Durham Owns Ball Club |work=The New York Times |date=February 24, 1909}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, James}} [[Category:1864 births]] [[Category:1934 deaths]] [[Category:American newspaper executives]] [[Category:American stockbrokers]] [[Category:American businesspeople in transportation]] [[Category:Baltimore and Ohio Railroad people]] [[Category:Major League Baseball owners]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Savannah, Georgia]] [[Category:Philadelphia Phillies owners]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Philadelphia]] [[Category:St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni]]