William Chase Temple facts for kids
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| Born: | December 28, 1862 Starke, Florida, United States |
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| Died: | January 9, 1917 (aged 54) Winter Park, Florida, United States |
| Career information | |
| College | Delaware State Normal School |
| Career history | |
| As administrator | |
| 1891–1893 | Pittsburgh Pirates (President) |
| 1898–1899 | Duquesne C & A. C. (Manager) |
| 1900–1901 | Homestead L. & A. C. (Manager) |
| As owner | |
| 1891–1893 | Pittsburgh Pirates (part-owner) |
| 1898–1899 | Duquesne Country & A. C. |
| 1900–1901 | Homestead Library & A. C. |
| 1902 | Pittsburgh Stars (disputed) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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William Chase Temple (born December 28, 1862 – died January 9, 1917) was a very successful businessman. He worked with coal, citrus fruits, and lumber in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was also a part-owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. This team played in the National League.
Temple also created the Temple Cup. This was a special silver trophy. It was given to the winner of a baseball championship series. This series happened for four seasons, from 1894 to 1897. In 1898, he made history by becoming the first person to own a professional American football team all by himself.
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Who Was William Chase Temple?
William Chase Temple was born in Starke, Florida. He moved to Delaware and went to public schools in Wilmington. In 1879, he graduated from the Delaware State Normal School.
Early Life and Business Success
After school, Temple started his career in business. He worked for Plankinton & Armour in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1880, he became a bank clerk for Alexander Mitchell Bank.
By 1883, Temple returned to Florida. He started a lumber and timber company. He used the new freight railroads to transport his products. This made him very successful in the lumber business. Later, he worked for William Plankinton and Warren S. Johnson in Chicago. This company eventually became Johnson Controls.
Between 1885 and 1889, he was a president and general manager. He worked for the Metropolitan Electrical Service Company in New York City. From 1890 to 1895, he managed the Babcock & Wilcox Steam Boiler Company in Pittsburgh. While in Pittsburgh, he was involved with many important industrial, mining, and financial companies.
A Pioneer in Sports
William Chase Temple loved sports. He made a big impact on both baseball and football.
Baseball Adventures
From 1891 to 1893, Temple was the president and a part-owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. This team played in the National League. In 1894, he donated a large silver cup. This cup became known as the Temple Cup.
The Temple Cup was for a special championship series. The top two teams in the league would play seven games. The winner would take home the cup. However, there were disagreements about how the prize money was shared. This unfortunately affected the cup's reputation. Temple then sold his share of the Pirates. The Temple Cup continued to be awarded until the 1897 season.
Stepping into Football
In 1898, Temple became interested in football. He took over paying the team members for the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club. This was a professional football team in Pittsburgh. He became the first person known to own a football club all by himself.
The Duquesnes became a top professional team in Pennsylvania. In 1900, many of the Duquesne players moved to a rival team. This was the Homestead Library & Athletic Club. Temple also joined this team as a manager. For the next two seasons (1900 and 1901), Homestead had the best professional football team. They did not lose a single game.
In 1902, there was some debate about who truly owned the Pittsburgh Stars team. This team was part of the first National Football League. David Berry was listed as the team's owner. Despite the questions, the Stars went on to win the 1902 championship of this early NFL.
Building New Organizations
Temple also helped create important organizations. In 1909, he founded the Florida Citrus Exchange. He managed it from 1910 to 1913. During this time, he helped the exchange grow its business from $200,000 to $5 million each year.
In 1915, he became the first president of the South Florida Chamber of Commerce. He was also the first life member of the new American Automobile Association (AAA).
His Lasting Legacy
William Chase Temple passed away in 1917 in Winter Park, Florida. He is buried in the local Palm Cemetery. Before his death, he served as the mayor of Winter Park.
A city in Florida, Temple Terrace, was named after him. The "Temple orange" also carries his name. William Chase Temple married Carrie Lee Wood in 1884. She was the daughter of baseball player Jimmy Wood. Their daughter, Dorothy, later married baseball pitcher Del Mason.
See also
