William R. Daley

Who is William R. Daley?

William R. Daley was a businessman and owner of two franchises in Major League Baseball's American League. He was born in Ashtabula, Ohio in 1892.

Daley was the principal owner of the Cleveland Indians from 1956 through 1962. In 1956, Daley purchased Myron H. Wilson's share of the franchise to become owner. In 1962, Daley sold the Indians to a group headed by general manager Gabe Paul.

In 1969, Daley resurfaced when Dewey Soriano asked him to help pay the expansion fee to start the expansion Seattle Pilots. In return for paying most of the fee, Daley bought a 47 percent stake in the new team, becoming the largest shareholder and chairman of the board. He had considered moving the Indians to Seattle in the early 1960s. However, his return to baseball was short-lived; the Pilots went bankrupt after only one season and moved to Milwaukee as the Brewers.

Daley died at Cleveland in 1971 after a long illness.