# Peter Magowan

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{{Short description|American baseball executive (1942–2019)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2026}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{for multi|the lawyer and politician on Prince Edward Island|Peter Magowan (lawyer)|the American politician|Peter McGowan}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = Peter Magowan 2010.jpg
| caption            = Magowan at the 2010 Giants World Series parade
| name               = Peter Magowan
| birth_name         = Peter Alden Magowan
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1942|4|5}}
| birth_place        = New York City, U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2019|1|27|1942|4|5}}
| death_place        = San Francisco, California, U.S.
| alma_mater         = [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University)<br>[University of Oxford](/source/University_of_Oxford)<br>[Johns Hopkins University](/source/Johns_Hopkins_University)
| employer           = [San Francisco Giants](/source/San_Francisco_Giants)
| occupation         = President<br>Managing General Partner<br>President Emeritus
| term               = President, 1993–2008<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/team/frontoffice_bios/magowan_peter.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070617040439/http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/team/frontoffice_bios/magowan_peter.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 17, 2007|title=San Francisco Giants: Front Office|website=sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com}}</ref><br>
 President Emeritus, 2008–2019
| relatives          = [Charles E. Merrill](/source/Charles_E._Merrill) (grandfather)<br/>[Charles E. Merrill Jr.](/source/Charles_E._Merrill_Jr.) (uncle)<br/>[James Merrill](/source/James_Merrill) (uncle)
| website            = [https://web.archive.org/web/20070617040439/http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/team/frontoffice_bios/magowan_peter.jsp Giants Bio]
}}
'''Peter Alden Magowan''' (April 5, 1942 – January 27, 2019) was an American businessman. He was the managing general partner of the [San Francisco Giants](/source/San_Francisco_Giants) of [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) from 1993 to 2008. He was the [chief executive officer](/source/chief_executive_officer) of [Safeway Inc.](/source/Safeway_Inc.) from 1979 through 1993.

==Early life and career==
Magowan was born in New York City in 1942.<ref name="DaimlerChrysler">{{cite web |url=http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/dccom/0-5-621415-1-625357-1-0-0-0-0-0-104-7155-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.html | title=Peter A. Magowan | website=Daimler Chrysler | date=2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926231505/http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/dccom/0-5-621415-1-625357-1-0-0-0-0-0-104-7155-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.html |archive-date=September 26, 2007  | access-date=December 25, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="obit">{{cite news |last1=Schulman |first1=Henry |last2=Whiting |first2=Sam |title=Peter Magowan, key leader of SF Giants and Safeway, dies |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Peter-Magowan-key-leader-of-SF-Giants-dies-at-76-13565765.php |access-date=January 28, 2019 |work=SFGate |date=January 28, 2019}}</ref> His maternal grandfather was [Charles Merrill](/source/Charles_E._Merrill) (1885–1956), co-founder of [Merrill Lynch](/source/Merrill_Lynch) and instrumental in the formation of [Safeway](/source/Safeway_Inc.). Magowan's father, Robert Anderson Magowan, was chairman and CEO of Safeway; Magowan's mother, Doris Merrill Magowan (1914–2001), was a [philanthropist](/source/Philanthropy).<ref name=sfexaminer>{{cite news|last=Gorcey |first=Ryan |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/longtime-san-francisco-giants-owner-peter-magowan-dead-76/ |title=Longtime San Francisco Giants owner Peter Magowan dead at 76 |date= January 27, 2019 |work= The San Francisco Examiner |access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref> Magowan was the nephew of poet [James Merrill](/source/James_Merrill) (1926–1995).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/ontherecord/article/On-the-Record-Peter-Magowan-2585926.php |title=On the Record: Peter Magowan |author=Maloney, Michael| publisher=SFGate |date=September 28, 2003 |access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref>

Magowan was a native of New York City and was a New York Giants fan prior to the team moving to San Francisco. He completed high school from [Groton School](/source/Groton_School), had a bachelor's degree from [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University) and a master's degree from the [University of Oxford](/source/University_of_Oxford). He also did post-graduate work at [Johns Hopkins University](/source/Johns_Hopkins_University).<ref name=sfexaminer/>

Following graduation from Stanford, Magowan joined Safeway as a real estate negotiator in Washington D.C. He also worked as a District Manager in Houston, a Retail Operations Manager in Phoenix and a Division Manager in Tulsa. From 1976 to 1978 he was in charge of the Company's international operations. He was elected a Director of Safeway in 1978 following the death of his father. In 1979, Magowan was elected as [chairman](/source/Chair_(official)) and [chief executive officer](/source/chief_executive_officer) (CEO) of Safeway.<ref name=sfexaminer/> Safeway's poor performance led to it being the target of [corporate raid](/source/corporate_raid)ers, resulting in acquisition by [KKR](/source/Kohlberg_Kravis_Roberts) acting as a [white knight](/source/White_knight_(business)), but he stayed on as CEO until 1993, when he resigned to devote his time to the Giants.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2019/01/27/longtime-san-francisco-giants-owner-peter-magowan-dies/38964857/ |title=Longtime San Francisco Giants owner Peter Magowan dies |work=[USA Today](/source/USA_Today) |date=January 27, 2019}}</ref>

Magowan was also a director of [Caterpillar, Inc.](/source/Caterpillar%2C_Inc.), [DaimlerChrysler](/source/DaimlerChrysler), and Spring Group, PLC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20050310005840/en/Magowan-Retire-Safeways-Board |title=Magowan to Retire From Safeway's Board |publisher=Business Wire |date=March 10, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421194731/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20050310005840/en/Magowan-Retire-Safeways-Board| archive-date=2019-04-21|access-date=January 28, 2019|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==San Francisco Giants==
Magowan, along with a group of investors (including [Charles B. Johnson](/source/Charles_B._Johnson), [Scott Seligman](/source/Scott_Seligman), Philip Halperin, Allan Byer, and David S. Wolff) purchased the franchise on January 12, 1993, from the previous owner, [Bob Lurie](/source/Bob_Lurie). Before Magowan's [consortium](/source/consortium) stepped in with its offer to buy the team, Lurie had planned to sell the team to a group from [St. Petersburg, Florida](/source/St._Petersburg%2C_Florida), now home to the [Tampa Bay Rays](/source/Tampa_Bay_Rays).<ref>{{cite news |title=BASEBALL; Look What Wind Blew Back: Baseball's Giants |author=Murray Chass |newspaper=New York Times|date=November 11, 1992 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/11/sports/baseball-look-what-wind-blew-back-baseball-s-giants.html?pagewanted=all|page=B11 }}</ref> While real estate mogul [Walter Shorenstein](/source/Walter_Shorenstein) had initially led the effort to put together a Bay Area-based group to keep the Giants in town, neither he nor the other partners had the time to handle day-to-day operations. They asked Magowan, an ardent Giants fan, to assume the post of managing general partner and principal owner.<ref name=SABR>[https://sabr.org/research/san-francisco-giants-team-ownership-history Garratt, Rob. "San Francisco Giants team ownership history," Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Wednesday, September 5, 2018.] Retrieved July 16, 2020</ref>

Magowan made his mark on the team immediately, signing free agent superstar [Barry Bonds](/source/Barry_Bonds), a [San Francisco Bay Area](/source/San_Francisco_Bay_Area)-native whose father, [Bobby Bonds](/source/Bobby_Bonds), began his career as a Giant.<ref>{{cite web|author=Murray Chass|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/06/sports/baseball-giants-make-investment-43-million-in-bonds.html |title=BASEBALL; Giants Make Investment: $43 Million in Bonds – The New York Times |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |date=December 6, 1992 |access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref>

Magowan was also noted for spearheading the construction of the Giants' current home, [Oracle Park](/source/Oracle_Park) (previously AT&T Park, SBC Park and Pacific Bell Park). Previously, several initiatives to build tax-supported stadiums had been rejected by [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco%2C_California) voters. In December 1995, Magowan unveiled his plan for a 42,000 seat ballpark in [China Basin](/source/China_Basin_(San_Francisco)), which would be privately funded – the first ballpark built without public funds in over 30 years. The plan was passed easily by San Francisco voters, by a two-to-one margin.<ref name="sfg">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070617040439/http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/team/frontoffice_bios/magowan_peter.jsp "Peter A. Magowan: President and Managing General Partner"] [http://www.sfgiants.com SF Giants Website] Retrieved on December 25, 2007</ref>

In late 2007 and early 2008, Peter Magowan and Giants [general manager](/source/general_manager_(baseball)) [Brian Sabean](/source/Brian_Sabean) drew some criticism in the [Mitchell Report](/source/Mitchell_Report) when it was revealed Giants athletic trainer Stan Conte came to Sabean and told him he suspected Bonds trainer [Greg Anderson](/source/Greg_Anderson_(trainer)) was distributing steroids and Giants management did not investigate or tell [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball).<ref name="Blame">{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Don-t-blame-Sabean-for-not-blowing-the-whistle-3230659.php|title=Don't blame Sabean for not blowing the whistle|first=Bruce|last=Jenkins|date=January 19, 2008|website=SFGate}}</ref>  Conte had been approached by a player.<ref name="Blame"/>  In the January 2007 [Congressional](/source/US_Congress) hearings on performance-enhancing drugs, Congressman [Henry Waxman](/source/Henry_Waxman) asked Commissioner [Bud Selig](/source/Bud_Selig) to discipline Sabean and Magowan for their culpability.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Selig-Giants-might-be-stuck-in-unforgiving-spot-3232535.php|title=Selig, Giants might be stuck in unforgiving spot|first=Ray|last=Ratto|date=January 16, 2008|website=SFGate}}</ref>  Some sports insiders argued that Magowan's and Sabean's actions on steroids were not any different from other clubs at the time.<ref name="Blame"/>  When Magowan was interviewed for the Mitchell Report, Magowan told [Senator](/source/US_Senate) [George Mitchell](/source/George_J._Mitchell) that [Barry Bonds](/source/Barry_Bonds) told him he had used steroids; he withdrew that assertion a few days later.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/What-Magowan-told-Mitchell-about-Bonds-3299724.php|title=What Magowan told Mitchell about Bonds|first=John|last=Shea|date=December 14, 2007|website=SFGate}}</ref>

On May 16, 2008, Magowan announced he would be stepping down as managing partner of the Giants effective October 1.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3399713|title=After cutting Bonds ties, Magowan leaving Giants|date=May 16, 2008|website=ESPN.com}}</ref> [Bill Neukom](/source/Bill_Neukom) succeeded Magowan as the principal shareholder and lead representative of the investors in the San Francisco Giants.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schulman |first=Henry |url=https://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/SF-Giants-to-replace-managing-partner-Bill-Neukom-2309738.php |title=SF Giants to replace managing partner Bill Neukom |publisher=SFGate |date=September 14, 2011 |access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref>

On November 3, 2010, Magowan participated in the Giants victory parade as the team celebrated its first [World Series](/source/World_Series) title since moving to San Francisco in 1958. In 2016, he was elected to the [Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame](/source/Bay_Area_Sports_Hall_of_Fame).<ref>{{cite web|last=Schulman |first=Henry |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/article/The-man-who-went-to-batfor-ballpark-shares-credit-7469116.php |title=The man who went to bat for ballpark shares credit |work=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=SFChronicle.com |date=May 14, 2016 |access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref> Magowan was inducted into the [San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame](/source/San_Francisco_Giants) in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schulman |first=Henry |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/article/Late-Giants-owner-Peter-Magowan-enshrined-on-Wall-14475924.php |title=Late Giants owner Peter Magowan enshrined on Wall of Fame he created |work=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=SFChronicle |date=September 28, 2019 |access-date=November 28, 2020}}</ref> Magowan received the Golden Plate Award of the [American Academy of Achievement](/source/Academy_of_Achievement) in 1992.<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[American Academy of Achievement](/source/American_Academy_of_Achievement)|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Magowan died while in [hospice](/source/hospice) care on January 27, 2019, at his home in [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco).<ref>{{cite web|author=NBC Sports Bay Area |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Former-San-Francisco-Giants-Owner-Peter-Magowan-Dies-at-76-504947751.html |title=Former San Francisco Giants Owner Peter Magowan Dies at 76 |date=January 27, 2019 |publisher=NBC Bay Area |access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/sf/history/owners.jsp List of San Francisco/New York Giants owners ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018165810/http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/sf/history/owners.jsp |date=October 18, 2006 }}

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box |before = [Bob Lurie](/source/Bob_Lurie) |title = [San Francisco Giants President](/source/San_Francisco_Giants) |years = 1993–2008|after = [Larry Baer](/source/Larry_Baer)}}
{{s-end}}

{{San Francisco Giants owners}}
{{San Francisco Giants Presidents}}
{{San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame}}

{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magowan, Peter}}
Category:1942 births
Category:2019 deaths
Category:20th-century American businesspeople
Category:21st-century American businesspeople
Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford
Category:American chief executives in the food industry
Category:American chief executives in retailing
Category:Businesspeople from New York City
Category:Businesspeople from San Francisco
Category:Caterpillar Inc. people
Category:Groton School alumni
Category:Major League Baseball owners
Category:Major League Baseball team presidents
Category:Merrill family
Category:Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies alumni
Category:San Francisco Giants owners

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Peter Magowan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Magowan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Magowan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.