James Potter

James Potter

• School Princeton University
• High School St. Paul's School (Concord)

• Born April 7, 1864 in Savannah, GA USA
• Died April 15, 1934

Biographical Information

Jimmy Potter was the owner and President of the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League in 1903 and 1904.

He got his start in life working for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, rising to an executive position, then became general manager of the Philadelphia Evening Telegraph. He was an avid sportsman, with his favorite sport being tennis - both lawn tennis and court tennis. He helped organize the Philadelphia Racket Club and was its president for 17 years.

In 1903, he led a syndicate that purchased the Phillies from Al Reach and John Rogers for $180,000. He was elected team President on March 3rd of that year, and stayed in the position until November of 1904, when he was succeeded by Bill Shettsline. His period of ownership was marked with the rise of the Philadelphia Athletics of the rival American League, and the Phillies falling to second place in the fans' affections and being badly outdrawn at the gate. One major issue for the team was that John Rogers had retained ownership of the team's ballpark, National League Park (the future "Baker Bowl") and would not relinquish this until 1909. In the meantime, the ballpark suffered a collapse of a walkway in the outfield bleachers on August 6, 1903, resulting in 12 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Neither Potter nor Rogers would accept responsibility (a public enquiry later put the blame on the use of substandard materials in the original construction) and many observers single that date as the start of the team's fall into mediocrity, as they had to complete the season in a temporary ballpark. After renouncing the team presidency, he sold his shares to Charles Phelps Taft and Charles Murphy, who would later become the owner of the Chicago Cubs.

After his brief time in baseball, Potter managed a branch of the stock brokerage firm Marshall, Spader & Co. When that office closed in 1908, he took over management of another Philadelphia newspaper, the Public Ledger. In 1913, he became a general agent for the Cunard shipping line, staying in the position for the remainder of his active life.

Related Sites

• Philadelphia Phillies ownership history