Frank McKinney

Frank Edward McKinney Sr.

• Born June 16, 1904 in Indianapolis, IN USA
• Died January 9, 1974 in Indianapolis, IN USA

Bigraphical Information

Frank McKinney was a banker in Indianapolis, IN who was also active in politics; he was the co-owner of a number of baseball teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates and the minor league Indianapolis Indians and Louisville Colonels.

He served in World War II and was a delegate at a number of Democratic National Conventions. In 1951 and 1952, he served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee after being hand-picked for the position by President Harry Truman. In 1968, he was appointed Ambassador to Spain, but never actually took up his position.

He became majority owner of the Pirates on August 8, 1946, buying the team from Bill Benswanger and Florence Dreyfuss, widow of Barney Dreyfuss, for $2.5 million, and remained until selling his interests to John Galbreath on July 19, 1950. He concurrently served as team president. Bing Crosby was a minority partner in the ownership group he headed, as well as Galbreath and Tom Johnson.

His son, Frank McKinney Jr., was a competitve swimmer and Olympic medalist.