William Richardson

William Miller Richardson

• Born February 1, 1878 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died June 10, 1942 in Atlantic City, NJ USA

Biographical Information

William M. Richardson, also called William E. Richardson in some sources, was co-owner of the Washington Senators alongside Clark Griffith from 1919 until his passing on June 10, 1942. His twin brother, George Richardson inherited his shares. After George's death in 1948, they were sold to John James Jachym in 1949.

Richardson was a wealthy grain broker based in Philadelphia, PA who was a business partner of Tom Shibe, co-owner of the Philadelphia Athletics. He was also president of the Portland Cement Company. Griffith, the team's manager who was already a minority owner of the Senators, had long sought a financial partner who could help him gain control of the team, as he had regular disagreements with other team owners. Richardson turned out to be the man, as together the two managed to purchase 80% of the team's shares, with the presence of the wealthy Richardson on board finally allowing Griffith to obtain a sizeable loan to purchase his share; he had previously had to sell his cattle from a ranch he owned in Montana, and later mortgage and sell the ranch itself, in order to gain his original ownership shares. The deal, finalized on November 10, 1919, allowed Griffith to be named team President; he would then give up the task of field manager after the 1920 season in favor of George McBride and concentrate on running the front office. Richardson's share amounted to 40.4%, while Griffith owned 44%, with his previous minority share added to the amount he purchased at the same time as Richardson.

Richardson never sought an active participation in deciding on-field matters, leaving all initiatives to Griffith. As a result, he did not leave much of a mark on Senators history once the purchase was completed, a situation that continued when his twin brother succeeded him. The two were basically footnotes, content with cashing in the occasional dividend, until George's passing in 1948. Griffith had had a verbal agreement with William that if he ever wanted to sell his shares, Griffith would have the right to match any offer, but by 1948, his heirs no longer felt bound by the clause and found a higher bidder in Jachym, who would then clash repeatedly with Griffith, who was thus reminded that he was not the team's majority owner, in spite of how he had comported himself since 1919.

Related Sites

• William Richardson at the SABR Bio Project
• Washington Senators ownership history