Jimmie Lee Solomon

Jimmie Lee Solomon Jr.

• School Harvard University, Dartmouth College
• High School Lamar Consolidated High School

• Born March 11, 1956 in Thompsons, TX USA
• Died October 8, 2020 in Houston, TX USA

Biographical Information

Jimmie Lee Solomon was a top executive in Major League Baseball from 1991 to 2012. After graduating from Harvard law school, he became a partner at a Washington, DC law firm for 10 years. He had previously attended Dartmouth College, where he had played on the football team and was also a top track and field athlete while earning his Bachelor's degree.

Solomon joined MLB in 1991 as Director of Minor League Operations. He became Executive Director of Minor League Operations and later Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations. He held that role for five years, with responsibilities of overseeing MLB, Minor League Baseball, International Baseball Operations, the Major League Scouting Bureau and the Arizona Fall League among other tasks. In 2005, he became the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for MLB.

He also helped create the Futures Game and several outreach efforts to the African-American community. One of his most significant achievements was the opening of the first Urban Youth Academy in Compton, CA, followed by similar facilities in a number of other locations following the first Academy's success. He was also in charge of negotiating three successive agreements with Minor League Baseball.

Solomon was dismissed in 2012 for an unspecified reason. While there had been some criticism over the quality of umpiring in the major leagues over the years - an area under his responsibility for baseball operations, his overall record as an executive was highly positive. He was also one of the most prominent senior African-American executives in Major League Baseball.

Source: 2009 MLB Umpires Media Guide

Related Sites

• Article from USA Today on his dismissal