Ewing Kauffman

Ewing Marion Kauffman (September 21, 1916 – August 1, 1993) was an American pharmaceutical entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Major League Baseball owner.[1]

Early life and education

Ewing Kauffman was born on September 21, 1916, on a farm near Garden City, Missouri. He was the son of John S. Kauffman and Effie May Winders, who were German-Americans. When Kauffman was a child, his father was in a farming accident which left him blind in his right eye.[2] Following the accident, his father relocated the family to Kansas City, where he worked as a life insurance salesman.[3]

As a child, Kauffman loved reading. When he was 11, he had to leave school for a year, due to a heart valve that would not close completely.[3] During this year, Kauffman taught himself how to speed read

Career

Military

In 1942, Kauffman joined the military and served in the U.S. Navy as a signalman.[2] He served in both Europe and the Philippines;[3] after his discharge in 1945, he returned to Kansas City.

Lincoln Laboratories

In 1947, Kauffman became a commissioned salesman for Lincoln Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company based in Decatur, Illinois.[6] Kauffman earned a 20 percent commissions on his sales, and eventually earned more than the president of the company. Kauffman became angry with the company and left in 1950 after it decreased his sales territory and cut his commission.[3]

Marion Laboratories

After leaving Lincoln Laboratories, Kauffman formed Marion Laboratories with a $5,000 investment. The company was originally run out of his house, and there were four employees, consisting of Kauffman and his close friends.[6] He reportedly chose to use his middle name, rather than his surname, in order to not appear to be a one-man operation.

With Kauffman as chairman, Marion Laboratories had revenues of $930 million in 1988, the year before it merged with Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals to form Marion Merrell Dow. Kauffman became chairman emeritus of the new company. The company sale created more than 300 millionaires.

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Kauffman established the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation [7] in the mid-1960s with the same sense of opportunity he brought to his business endeavors, and, with the same convictions. Kauffman wanted his foundation to be innovative – to fundamentally change people's lives. He wanted to help young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, get a quality education that would enable them to reach their full potential. He saw building enterprise as one of the most effective ways to realize individual promise and spur the economy. Today, the mission of the Kauffman Foundation follows his vision by focusing its grant making and operations on two areas: advancing entrepreneurship and improving the education of children and youth.[8]

Kansas City Royals

After thirteen years in Kansas City, the Athletics moved to Oakland following the 1967 season. Inspired by his wife, who told him it would be a new frontier that would be good for him, Kauffman joined the forefront for the push for a expansion team in Kansas City, Missouri. On January 11, 1968, he was announced as owner of the new team, soon christened as the Kansas City Royals, bringing major league baseball back to the city for the 1969 season. He hired Cedric Tallis as the first general manager for the team, as he liked what he saw from Tallis when he was an executive of the Los Angeles Angels during their process of becoming a team in 1961.[9] Described by one historian as "too far too ahead of his time" in terms of his management style in innovations, he strived to have the finest organization in baseball, setting a goal for a pennant in five years. Seeing the need to develop players into athletes, he established the Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy in 1971, although it closed three years later due to costs, much to the subsequent regret of Kauffman. He entertained the notions of Earnshaw Cook, an early researcher and proponent of sabermetrics. On April 10, 1973, Royals Stadium opened, and it would host the 1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game a few months later; the stadium features included a privately funded fountain system that was among the largest in the world.[10]

Project Choice

In 1988, Kauffman launched Project Choice to the Westport High School Class of 1992. Project Choice promised to fund post-secondary education to all students who stayed in school, did not use drugs, did not become pregnant, and were committed to being an upstanding citizen in the community.[16] To be eligible for the program, parents also had to agree to be involved in their child's education by attending meetings and participating in parent/teacher organizations and other activities. The program remained active until 2001. During those years, it expanded to five other high schools in the Kansas City metro area.[16]

birth name	Ewing Marion Kauffman
birth date	September 21, 1916
birth place	near Garden City, Missouri, U.S.
death date	August 1, 1993
death place	Mission Hills, Kansas, U.S.
alma mater	• Westport High School • Longview Community College
occupation	American pharmaceutical entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Major League Baseball team owner

Early life and education

Career

Military

Lincoln Laboratories

Marion Laboratories

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Kansas City Royals

Project Choice

Personal life

Death

Awards and honors

See also

External links

References