Charles Murphy

Charles Webb Murphy
(Charlie)

• Born January 22, 1868 in Wilmington, OH USA
• Died October 16, 1931 in Chicago, IL USA

Biographical Information

Charles Murphy was the owner of the Chicago Cubs from 1906 to 1913, the period of greatest success in the franchise's history. After selling the team, he retained ownership of the team's ballpark, West Side Grounds, but was left out in the cold when the Cubs were sold to Charles Weeghman, owner of the Chicago Whales of the Federal League, after the 1915 season as part of the settlement of the conflict between the two established major leagues and the Federal League. Weeghman broke the Cubs lease in order to have them play in Weeghman Park - the future Wrigley Field - which had just been built for his former team.

Before owning the Cubs, he had been an associate of Charles Phelps Taft in buying the Philadelphia Phillies from James Potter in 1904, selling his shares to Taft when he bought the Cubs in 1906.

Further Reading

• Jason Cannon: Charlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman behind the Chicago Cubs, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, 2022. ISBN 978-1-4962-2863-5

Related Sites

• Charles Murphy at the SABR Bio Project
• Baseball History Daily article on Charles Murphy