Edward Bennett Williams

11+1⁄2 weeks later on October 22. ^[6] His interest in purchasing the franchise began when he represented in negotiations William E. Simon, who had attempted to do the same thing earlier that year until he withdrew his offer on February 5. ^{[7] [8]} As part of the deal, Williams bought a block of publicly traded shares that had been issued in 1936 when the team was still the St. Louis Browns, making the Orioles privately held once again.

Many feared Williams would move the team to Washington. Baltimore had previously lost the Baltimore Bullets to Washington. The fear of Williams's moving the team increased with the 1984 departure of the Baltimore Colts. However, Williams never moved the team. More importantly, Williams signed a new, long-term lease with Baltimore that would pay for a new stadium, which would become Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He would not live to see the new ballpark (it opened in 1992, four years after his death). The Orioles were sold by Williams's wife Agnes to Eli Jacobs, Larry Lucchino and Sargent and Bobby Shriver for $70 million on December 5, 1988. ^[9]

Real estate investments

Among Williams's many real estate holdings was The Jefferson, a 98-room luxury hotel located near the White House and favored by many sport and political figures in the 1980 and 90s. In April 1989, Paine Webber Realty (a subsidiary of the Paine Webber stock brokerage firm) purchased the hotel from Agnes Williams for $28 million ($71 million in 2024 dollars).

Death

Williams died at Georgetown University Hospital on August 13, 1988, after a 12-year battle with colon cancer. ^[10] He was buried in St. Gabriel Cemetery in Potomac, Maryland. His funeral was attended by most of Washington's power elite, including then U.S. vice president George H. W. Bush, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Eunice Kennedy and Sargent Shriver, and Michael Milken (of the famous 1980s junk-bond scandal). ^[11] The Edward Bennett Williams Law Library at Georgetown University Law Center is named in his honor. The senior apartments residence hall at the College of the Holy Cross is also named in his honor.

References

1. "Redskins 1980 Media Guide" (PDF). Internet Archive . Washington Redskins. 1980. p. 8. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
2. "Curtis new chairman of Democratic party". Stevens Point Daily Journal. Vol. 82. Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Associated Press. January 21, 1977. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Democrats seek smooth convention". St. Petersburg Times . Vol. 91, no. 87. October 19, 1974. p. 4-A – via Newspapers.com.
4. Guerrieri, Vince. "Edward Bennett Williams". Society for American Baseball Research . Retrieved June 12, 2024.
5. "Redskin Owner Buys Orioles," The New York Times, Friday, August 3, 1979. Retrieved August 25, 2018
6. "Sale of Orioles to Williams Approved by Club Owners," The New York Times, Tuesday, October 23, 1979. Retrieved December 12, 2020
7. Scannell, Nancy. "Hoffberger Sells Orioles To Williams," The Washington Post, Friday, August 3, 1979. Retrieved December 12, 2020
8. Scannell, Nancy. "Simon Withdraws Offer for Orioles," The Washington Post, Tuesday, February 6, 1979. Retrieved December 12, 2020
9. Justice, Richard. "Seed That Began Orioles' Sale Planted at Ethel Kennedy's Home," The Washington Post, Sunday, December 11, 1988. Retrieved August 25, 2018
10. Edward Bennett Williams (obituary), United Press International, Saturday, August 13, 1988. Retrieved August 19, 2018
11. Thomas, Evan (1991). The Man To See. Simon & Schuster. p. 13. ISBN   978-1-4391-2796-4.

• Krebs, Albin (August 14, 1988). "Edward Bennett Williams, 68, Influential Trial Lawyer, Dies; A Brilliant 'Superlawyer'". The New York Times .
• Thomas, Evan. The Man to See, 1991.
• Williams, Edward Bennett. One Man's Freedom.
• Hilzenrath, David S. (April 4, 1989). "Paine Webber Realty to Buy Jefferson Hotel". The Washington Post. p. C1

Edward Bennett Williams
Williams in 1970
Born	(1920-05-31)May 31, 1920 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	August 13, 1988(1988-08-13) (aged 68) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education	College of the Holy Cross (BA) Georgetown University (JD)
Occupations	Lawyer sports team owner
Employer	Hogan & Hartson (1945–1949)
Organizations	Williams & Connolly District of Columbia Bar
Title	President, Washington Redskins (1966–1984) Owner, Baltimore Orioles (1979–1988)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Agnes Neill Williams
Children	7
Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee
In office October 18, 1974 –January 21, 1977

v t e Washington Commanders owners
Formerly the Boston Braves (1932), Boston Redskins (1933–1936), Washington Redskins (1937–2019), and Washington Football Team (2020–2021)
George Preston Marshall (1932–1965) Edward Bennett Williams (1965–1979) Jack Kent Cooke (1979–1997) Cooke estate (1997–1999) Daniel Snyder (1999–2023) Josh Harris (2023–present)