James Lemon

James Hanson Lemon Jr.

• School Princeton University

• Born May 14, 1903 in Washington, DC USA
• Died July 20, 1977 in Washington, DC USA

Biographical Information

James Lemon was a minority owner of the Washington Senators, created in the expansion of 1961, from 1963 to 1968. He served as Team President and chairman of the board in 1967 and 1968, after he became principal owner, buying out original partner James Johnston. He and Johnston had originally purchased the team from Elwood Richard Quesada.

A graduate of Princeton University and an avid contract bridge player, he was a successful businessman and investment banker and was well-connected politically, playing golf regularly with President Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower appointed him as a special ambassador to the newly independent country of Ghana before the formal opening of the U.S. embassy there in 1957.

On December 3, 1968, Bob Short became the majority owner of the Senators, but Lemon maintained a minority ownership position and the powerless title of Chairman of the Board, as Short took over responsibility for day-to-day operations. Short then moved the Senators to Arlington, TX after the 1971 season and sold the team to Brad Corbett in 1974, a deal that also included Lemon's remaining shares.

In 1968, while he was still an owner of the Senators, the unrelated Jim Lemon served as the team's manager.