George Washington Grant

George Washington Grant
Born	Cincinnati
Died	April 5, 1947 (aged 77) Los Angeles
Spouse	Mae Reed (died July 30, 1937)[1]

George Washington Grant was an American businessman who owned the Boston Braves of the National League from 1919 to 1923.

Grant was born in Cincinnati, where he worked as a paper boy, messenger, and street car conductor.^[2] One of his friends growing up was future Chicago Cubs owner Charles Murphy.^[3] Grant later owned a racing stable and managed Kid McCoy's saloon. In 1907 he founded George W. Grant & Co. in New York City to sell stock in cobalt mines.^[4]

In 1905, Grant opened the Bioscope in Victoria, London. The theater consisted of a hall constructed behind an existing storefront and was one of the city's first purpose-built cinemas.^[5] Grant later changed the name of the theatre to the Biograph and in 1908, founded Biograph Theatres Inc. with Harry Grahame Russell. By 1911 there were ten Biograph Theatres in London.^[6] In 1915 he sold his interests in England and returned to the United States. He shared an office on Wall Street with New York Giants owner Charles Stoneham and was one of the team's season-ticket holders. On January 30, 1919, he purchased the Boston Braves for a reported $400,000.^[7] During his tenure as owner, the club was hampered by injuries and poor weather that cost him almost all of his holiday dates and most of his Saturdays.^[2] On February 20, 1923, he sold the club to a syndicate led by Christy Mathewson and Emil Fuchs.^[8]

After selling the Braves, Grant moved to Havana, where he served as treasurer of the Oriental Park Racetrack.^[9] He retired to Los Angeles, where he died on April 5, 1947, at the age of 77.^[10]

References

1. "Mrs. George W. Grant". The New York Times. July 31, 1937.
2. "Former Cincinnatian Has Sold His Interest in Braves". The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 25, 1923.
3. O'Leary, James (January 31, 1919). "Braves' New Owner Has Eye on Pennant". The Boston Globe.
4. New York Court of Appeals. Records and Briefs. New York (State) Court of Appeals. 1907. p. 11. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
5. Hanson, Stuart (2019). From Silent Screen to Multi-screen: A History of Cinema Exhibition in Britain Since 1896. Manchester University Press. p. 15. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
6. The Stock Exchange Official Intelligence for 1911. 1911. p. 565.
7. O'Leary, James (January 31, 1919). "Braves' New Owner Has Eye on Pennant". The Boston Globe.
8. "Matty Heads Group Which Buys Braves". The New York Times. February 21, 1923.
9. "Braves Ex-Owner Promoting Races". The Boston Globe. November 26, 1923.
10. "George Grant, Former Braves Owner, Dies at Los Angeles, Calif". The Boston Globe. April 6, 1947.