# Samuel F. Angus

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{{Short description|American baseball executive (1855–1908)}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Samuel F. Angus
| image       = Samuel Angus.png
| image_size  =
| caption     = 
| birth_name  = Samuel Floyd Angus
| birth_date  = April 1855
| birth_place = Prairie Depot, [Wood County, Ohio](/source/Wood_County%2C_Ohio), U.S.
| death_date  = {{death date and age|1908|2|6|1855|4|}}
| death_place = [Detroit](/source/Detroit), Michigan, U.S.
| spouse=Dorothy Hood (died 1907)<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=When Eastern Michigan rode the rails|author1=Schramm, J.E.|author2=Henning, W.H.|author3=Andrews, R.R.|date=1984|publisher=Interurban Press|isbn=9780916374655|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tnjhAAAAMAAJ|access-date=April 6, 2015}}</ref>
| children=
| alma_mater=
| known_for   = Owner of the [Detroit Tigers](/source/Detroit_Tigers)<br>(Nov. 1901–Oct. 1903), railway owner/executive
| occupation  = businessman
}}
'''Samuel Floyd Angus''' (April 1855 – February 6, 1908) was an American business owner and professional sports team owner. He was the principal owner of the [Detroit Tigers](/source/Detroit_Tigers) of the [American League](/source/American_League) from November 1901 through October 1903.

Angus began his career as a book agent in Ohio. He subsequently entered the life insurance business, first as an agent and later as a regional manager for large life insurance interests. In the late 1890s, he became a promoter and builder of interurban electric railways, including the 61-mile Toledo, Fremont & Norwalk Railway (later part of the [Lake Shore Electric Railway](/source/Lake_Shore_Electric_Railway_(Ohio))) and the 79-mile Detroit, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor & Jackson Railway (sometimes known as the "Ypsi-Ann").

In November 1901, he led a syndicate that acquired the [Detroit Tigers](/source/Detroit_Tigers) from [James D. Burns](/source/James_D._Burns) and [George Stallings](/source/George_Stallings). He purchased majority interest in 1902 and owned the team until late 1903. During Angus's ownership, the team began the tradition of training in the south and acquired stars ["Wild Bill" Donovan](/source/Bill_Donovan) and ["Wahoo Sam" Crawford](/source/Sam_Crawford), whose services would be key to the 1907 American League championship team.

==Early years==
Angus was born in 1855 at Prairie Depot (now known as [Wayne](/source/Wayne%2C_Ohio)) in [Wood County, Ohio](/source/Wood_County%2C_Ohio), near [Toledo](/source/Toledo%2C_Ohio). He was the son of Richard and Lillie (Atkinson) Angus.<ref name=BOD/>  He began his career as a book agent, traveling through Ohio.<ref name=WEM>{{cite book|title=When Eastern Michigan rode the rails|author1=Jack E. Schramm |author2=William H. Henning |author3=Richard R. Andrews |publisher=Interurban Press|year=1984 |page=25}}</ref>  Angus later credited his work as a book agent with his development as a businessman:<blockquote>"I think that this experience developed all the business tact I have. It was a hard road to travel and necessitated close study of human nature. I learned to read men's faces, to know their moods, and to judge their character. It necessitated a great deal of reading as well, for I found the great way to draw men out and get them interested was to catch them by sounding their favorite style of books. I had to be generally well informed to talk intelligently, and I think the experience had much to do toward broadening my views of life generally."<ref name=obit/></blockquote>

In his work as a book agent, he was located variously in Toledo, Wheeling and Cleveland.<ref name=obit/>

==Business career==
While living in Cleveland, Angus became involved in the life insurance business.<ref name=obit/>  He moved to [Detroit](/source/Detroit) in 1892 or 1893 where he continued to work as a life insurance agent.<ref name=obit/>  He ultimately became regional manager for National Life Insurance Co. and then Home Life Insurance Co.<ref name=BOD>{{cite book|title=The Book of Detroiters|author=Albert Nelson Marquis|year=1908|publisher=A. N. Marquis & Company|url=https://archive.org/details/bookdetroiters01marqgoog|quote=angus book of detroiters.}}</ref><ref name=obit/>

Angus also became involved in promoting and building electric railways in Ohio and Michigan. In 1899, Angus, along with partner Henry A. Haigh, built the Toledo, Fremont & Norwalk Railway with financial backing from the Comstock lumber family. The Toledo line was an interurban railway running 61 miles from [Toledo](/source/Toledo%2C_Ohio) to [Fremont, Ohio](/source/Fremont%2C_Ohio), with Angus serving as the railway's first president.<ref name=BOD/><ref>{{cite book|title=The Lake Shore Electric Railway Story|page=168|author1=Herbert H. Harwood |author2=Robert S. Korach |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2000 |isbn=0253337976 }}</ref> It later became part of the [Lake Shore Electric Railway](/source/Lake_Shore_Electric_Railway_(Ohio)).<ref name=obit/>  In approximately 1898, Angus also promoted and built the Detroit, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor & Jackson Railway (sometimes known as the "Ypsi-Ann").<ref name=BOD/>  The Ypsi-Ann allowed passengers to take interurban cars from Detroit to stops 79 miles west of the city, including Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Chelsea and Jackson.<ref name=BOD/><ref>{{cite book|title=Electric Trolleys of Washtenaw County |page=81|author=H. Mark Hildebrandt|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2009 |isbn=978-1439621295}}</ref>  Angus and partner James D. Hawks also owned the Lansing City Electric Railway until August 1903.<ref>{{Meints-Companies|page=21}}</ref>

==Detroit Tigers==
On November 2, 1901, and with the support of American League president [Ban Johnson](/source/Ban_Johnson), Angus took control of the finances of the Detroit Baseball Club by paying up a note given by owners [James D. Burns](/source/James_D._Burns) and [George Stallings](/source/George_Stallings) for $13,600 secured by stock. This led later to a reorganization of the club, the retirement of both Burns and Stallings, and the control of the enterprise by a syndicate in which Angus, James McNamara, Frank C. Cook, E.H. Doyle and J. H. Fitzpatrick were prominent members.<ref>{{cite book|title=1901|publisher=Detroit Evening News|year=1901|page=129}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Stallings Sells To-Day: Detroit Club Will Then Be in New Hands Entirely: Angus, Doyle, McNamara and Cook New Promoters -- Frank Dwyer Here, and Likely to be Team Manager|newspaper=Detroit Free Press |date=November 15, 1901 |page=9 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/563301145}}</ref>  Toward the end of the 1902 season, on August 6, Angus purchased the holdings of his colleagues in the ownership syndicate and gained control of the club.<ref name=obit/> The Sporting News noted that "Angus wants a winning club and will have no other."<ref>The Sporting News, August 23, 1902</ref>   In 1902, the Reach Official American League Guide described Detroit's new owner:<blockquote>"He is a portly and prosperous gentleman, a successful business man in many directions, but best known as president of the Detroit, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Jackson Railway, a trolley line 76 miles in length, that is destined to reach Chicago."<ref>1902 Reach Official American League Guide, p. 54.</ref></blockquote>

As owner and president of the Tigers, Angus sought to acquire a number of stars to play for the team. He sought to negotiate a deal to bring [Honus Wagner](/source/Honus_Wagner) to Detroit, but the deal was "blocked within his own league."<ref name=obit/>  He was successful in acquiring ["Wild Bill" Donovan](/source/Bill_Donovan) and ["Wahoo Sam" Crawford](/source/Sam_Crawford), whose work later helped the club win the American League pennant in 1907.<ref name=obit/>  During the 1903 season, Angus began the team's custom of training in the south. The club trained that year at [Shreveport, Louisiana](/source/Shreveport%2C_Louisiana), with [Ed Barrow](/source/Ed_Barrow) as manager.<ref name=obit/>

[Frank Navin](/source/Frank_Navin) was a clerk who kept the books for Angus. Navin knew that Angus was "woefully under-financed from the outset" and "nearly out of money."<ref name=DTE>{{cite book|title=The Detroit Tigers Encyclopedia|author1=Jim Hawkins |author2=Dan Ewald |author3=George Van Dusen |page=31|publisher=Sports Publishing LLC |year=2003|isbn=1582612226}}</ref>  Navin also knew [Bill Yawkey](/source/Bill_Yawkey), a wealthy 28-year-old lumber heir. At Navin's urging, Yawkey purchased the Tigers from Angus in October 1903 for $50,000 with Navin receiving a ten percent share of the club.<ref name=DTE/><ref name=COD>{{cite book|title=The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Volume 3|author=Clarence Monroe Burton|publisher=Clarke Publishing Company|year=1922|page=772|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G0YzAQAAMAAJ&q=samuel+angus+detroit}}(date of sale shown as October 1903)</ref>

==Family and later years==
Angus was married to Dorothy Hood of [Milan, Ohio](/source/Milan%2C_Ohio).<ref name=WEM/>  They twin sons, both of whom died in infancy.<ref name=obit/>  Politically, he was a Republican.<ref name=BOD/>  He was a 32nd degree Mason and a member of the Turtle Lake club, the New York Athletic Club, the Detroit Boat Club, the Lake St. Clair Shooting and Fishing Club, and the [Ohio Society of New York](/source/Ohio_Society_of_New_York).<ref name=obit/>  He enjoyed horses and driving as recreation and lived at 59 East Ferry Avenue in Detroit. In January 1907, Angus sold his railway interests and retired.<ref name=BOD/>

His wife died in California in early 1907, while she was "trying to regain her health."<ref name=obit/>  Angus also became seriously ill while in California.<ref name=obit/> One newspaper described his condition as a "physical trouble that developed into paresis," a mental condition.<ref name=obit/> Another newspaper account stated that he became "broken down physically and mentally."<ref>{{cite news|title=Sam Angus Dead|newspaper=Fort Wayne News|date=February 7, 1908}}</ref>  After an illness reportedly lasting three years, Angus died in Detroit in February 1908 at age 52.<ref name=obit>{{cite news|title=Death Comes to S. F. Angus: End of Leading Business Man Culmination of Illness of Three Years; Once Principal Owner of Detroit Ball Club; Largely Interested in Electric Lines About City--Member of Many Clubs|newspaper=Detroit Free Press |date=February 7, 1908 |page=1 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/564138726}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Detroit Tigers owners}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angus, Samuel F}}
Category:Major League Baseball owners
Category:Detroit Tigers owners
Category:1855 births
Category:1908 deaths
Category:People from Wayne, Ohio
Category:People from Monroe County, Ohio
Category:19th-century American businesspeople

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