Lorinda de Roulet

Lorinda Payson de Roulet
(Linda)

• School Wellesley College

• Born c. 1931

Biographical Information

Lorinda de Roulet, née Lorinda Payson, is the daughter of Joan Payson, who was the original owner of the New York Mets. When her mother died in 1975, she succeeded her as team President and kept the job for a few years before the family decided to sell the team in the fall of 1979. The winning bid was put in by Nelson Doubleday, for $21.1 million, which was a record for a major league team at the time. The sale was completed early in 1980.

Her father, Charles Shipman Payson, was still alive when her mother passed away, but he had little interest in the team, as opposed to his daughter, who was an avid fan and had little trouble gaining election as President from the board of directors. She also became the chair of the team's board of directors in 1978, ousting M. Donald Grant, who was blamed for the team's recent downfall, after a boardroom coup. She was the first woman to run a major league team on a day-to-day basis, although Effa Manley, who would later be elected to the Hall of Fame, had done so in the Negro Leagues. She remained an avid Mets fan after the sale and was often seen attending games at Shea Stadium.

She married Vincent de Roulet, who owned a printing business, in 1951, but was already a widow when she became team President. After her stint as an executive, she was very involved in philanthropy, creating a foundation that supports education and social services for women. She has also served on the board of directors of various hospitals.