Name/Title
Print, PhotographicEntry/Object ID
1858Description
A black and white portrait photograph of Tacoma legendary business entrepreneur and philanthropist Ben Cheney. Born in 1905 in Lima, Montana began his business career after attending the Knapp Business School when he moved to Tacoma as a 19-year old. After starting the Cheney Lumber Company in 1936 where he found great success, Cheney used his new wealth to become one of Pierce County’s greatest philanthropists where he shared his love for baseball when he created a youth baseball team in every town one of his mills were built. In 1959, Cheney purchases what was the second largest share in the Major League Baseball team New York Giants when shares became available when the team relocated to San Francisco, California. Because of his purchase into the team, Cheney was able to bring professional baseball to the city of Tacoma after he purchased Tiger Park and spent $870,000 to build a new ballpark; the city named the new park Cheney Stadium in his honor and the stadium became the home of the San Francisco Giants minor league affiliate the Tacoma Tigers. Cheney also had an incredible amount of love and passion for sports, he found many competitive semi-pro teams called the Cheney Studs; these teams included basketball, softball, and of course, baseball team. Many of the top local college athletes, and some from around the nation, used these teams as a way to participate in competitive sports during their off-seasons while also generating more exposure for professional teams. These players went on to become some of the most influential coaches and officials in Washington state athletic history.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Cheney, BenPerson or Organization
Cheney, Benjamin Bradford