Joan Whitney Payson
| Joan Whitney Payson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
February 5, 1903 New York City, United States |
| Died | October 4, 1975 (aged 72) New York City, United States |
| Education | Miss Chapin's School |
| Alma mater |
Barnard College Brown University |
| Occupation |
Businesswoman Sports team owner Racehorse owner/breeder Art collector Philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Charles Shipman Payson (m. 1924) |
| Children | 5, including Lorinda de Roulet |
| Parent(s) |
Payne Whitney Helen Julia Hay |
| Relatives | See Whitney family |
Joan Whitney Payson (February 5, 1903 – October 4, 1975) was an American heiress, businesswoman, philanthropist, patron of the arts and art collector, and a member of the prominent Whitney family. She was also co-founder and majority owner of Major League Baseball's New York Mets baseball franchise, and was the first woman to own a major-league team in North America without inheriting it.
Joan Whitney was born in New York City, the daughter of Payne Whitney and Helen Julia Hay. Her brother was John Hay Whitney. She inherited a trust fund from her grandfather, William C. Whitney and on her father's death in 1927, she received a large part of the family fortune. She attended Miss Chapin's School, then studied at Barnard College for a year, as well as taking some courses at Brown.
Joan was a sports enthusiast who was a minority shareholder in the old New York Giants Major League Baseball club. She and her husband opposed moving the team to San Francisco in 1957. After the majority of the shareholders approved the move, Mrs. Payson sold her stock and began working to get a replacement team for New York City. Along with M. Donald Grant, the only other director who opposed the Giants' move, Payson put together a group that won a New York franchise in the Continental League, a proposed third major league. The National League responded by awarding an expansion team to Payson's group, which became the New York Mets.
Payson served as the team's president from 1968–1975. Active in the affairs of the baseball club, she was much admired by the team's personnel and players. She was inducted posthumously into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also the first woman to buy majority control of a team in a major North American sports league, rather than inheriting it.
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