VEECK, BILL

v.

in full William Louis Veeck

born Feb. 9, 1914, Hinsdale, Ill., U.S.

died Jan. 2, 1986, Chicago, Ill.

U.S. baseball-club executive and owner.

The son of a sportswriter who was also president of the Chicago Cubs (1919–33), Veeck became co-owner of the minor league Milwaukee Brewers (1941–45) and later the major league Cleveland Indians (1946–48), St. Louis Browns (1949–53), and Chicago White Sox (1959–68; 1976–81). Believing that baseball was a form of entertainment and should not be treated as a business, he introduced many innovations in promotion, was almost always able to improve a team's attendance, and usually bettered its performance.