Samuel Angus

Samuel Floyd Angus

• Born April 1855 in Wood Depot, OH USA
• Died February 6, 1908 in Detroit, MI USA

Biographical Information

Samuel Angus, also known as S.F. Angus, was the principal owner of the Detroit Tigers from the end of 1901 until 1904.

Born in Ohio, he began his working life as a book salesman but made his fortune in the life insurance business in Cleveland, OH, then became a promoter of electrical railroads in the 1890s after moving to Detroit, MI around 1893. He built the lines that connected Detroit to Toledo, OH in one direction, and to Ypsilanti, MI, Ann Arbor, MI and Jackson, MI in another direction.

He became an owner of the Tigers as part of a syndicate that purchased the team from George Stallings and James Burns in December of 1901. In 1902, he bought out some partners to become the principal owner of the team. His tenure was relatively short as he looked to sell his interests at the end of 1903, with their purchase by William H. Yawkey completed on January 22, 1904.

As owner, he laid the first cornerstones of what would be the strongest team in the American League in the second half of the 1900s with the signing of P Wild Bill Donovan and OF Sam Crawford. He also made the decision to have the team hold its spring training in the south, with the Tigers doing so in Shreveport, LA in 1903, under the guidance of manager Ed Barrow. However, a relative lack of capital kept Angus from fulfilling his ambition of building a top team, hence his decision to sell to Yawkey, who had much deeper pockets.

After selling the team, he also sold his business interests in order to retire in 1907, but soon developed health problems and died early in 1908.